The Ugly, Evil Guy On My Shoulder's Verdict: Whoopie granola mellowness, man.

The Handsome, Good Guy On My Shoulder's Verdict: I like Monty Python. I don't like computer games which take funny Monty Python sketches and make them unfunny.

My Verdict: I like Monty Python. I like Michael Detlefsen. I like this game.

Actual Excerpt From Second Page Article/Review in AGT Times by Morris Bobobablinkin, October 1989:

Without a doubt, the Adventure Game Toolkit has proven to be the greatest single invention in the history of mankind since the wheel. The proliferation of adventure games is occuring at an astounding rate, and one can only dream of what AGT marvels will be produced in the coming decade. One author we should all keep a look out for in the 1990s is Michael Detlefsen. With the release of his second game, The Misadventure of the Holy Grail, Detlefsen has shown he is one of the very few text adventure programmers who can not only write games that are enjoyable and challenging, but also hilarious! This game is a must play.

I'm glad the AGT Times fired Bobobablinkin a few years ago. He's just too pompous, you know? AGT the greatest single invention since the wheel? Come on! Anyway, I do like The Misadventure of the Holy Grail a lot, but there's no guarantee that you'll like it. It's a joke game, you see, and as with all joke games, you either get the joke or you don't. I happen to get the joke, and I find it uproaringly hilarious. The game is directly inspired by the classic Monty Python flick, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. However, knowledge of the film is not required to enjoy the game by any means. All Detlefsen does is take a few scenes, characters, and elements of the plot from the film and distort them all around so that they become something different entirely in the context of the game. There's a joke most everywhere you look, and it's certainly not all funny, but funny enough, you know. This is something of an adventure game equivalent of my favorite movie of all time, Deathstalker II. Every scene's a joke! Most folk cry foul, but I just throw my head and laugh in a disturbingly psychotic manner. Unquestionably, the best part of the game is the amusing opener(also the best opening introduction I've ever seen in a work of interactive fiction). Pure enjoyment. Lots of other classic scenes once you start playing, too. I should also say that though the game is funny and the author says it is a "medium" difficulty adventure, a few of the puzzles are not at all easy to solve. This is a game that'll suck up a few hours of your time for sure, and it'll definitely take you more than a single sitting. I had it sitting around on me HD for about four years before I got anywhere with it!

The game is written in(or with, if you prefer) AGT, so as is usual the parser is a bit weak. I also find it something of a pity that there are so many NPCs(including King Arthur and 'is knights!) running around that you can't interact with very much. Oh well. I still like the game, and you should too if you can stomach the constant flow of humor and the limitations of AGT. Detlefsen is a good writer, definitely, if a wee bit inconsistent. I wonder if he's still around the IF scene. Hmmm. The trouble is that this is a great game but flawed, so I'm going to have to give a fairly low rating. But in my mind, this game IS a classic, just not for everyone.

Simple Rating: 6/10

Complicated Rating: 38.8

Story: 4.5/10(A bit derivative, don't you think?)

Writing: 7.8/10

Playability: 7/10

Puzzle Quality: 7/10

Parser Responsiveness: 6/10

Special Ratings For This Game

Humor: 6.5/10

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