When Larry Laffer finally married Kalalau in Nontoonyt, at the end of his last caper, it seemd he had settled down to a respectable family life on the idyllic island. How then, could any of his further adventures have that same spirit?
Simple! Not only has the island now undergone a major tourist development with new attractions in the worst possible taste, but Larry arrives home one night to find Kalalau in a hot tube with her new lover, Bobbi. How could she possibly find another man more interesting than Larry? The answer is she did not. Work that one out for yourself, or buy the game!
Divorced and broken-hearted, Larry, with a sudden resolve, vows never to enter a serious relationship again. Indeed he will allow himself to be enjoyed by the many female tourists who visit Nontoonyt for a good time. And so, the little fellow clad in blue shirt and shorts, steps into a phone booth in the middle of the jungle, and changes into that famous white attire, transforming once more into Leisure Suit Larry!
Leisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals is far naughtier than Larry II, and like Larry I five questions must be answered before starting the game. But this time, the marks out of five determine at what level you play it. Three gives you 'Pretty Dirty', four offers 'Really Filthy', while five takes you into what you probably bought the game for: 'Totally Raunchiest'. The differences in play between these levels are fairly subtle but nevertheless noticeable - the level of the blinds in a lady's bedroom, and amount of bikini worn by a sunbather, for example.
Definitely an adult game, this, and certainly not to be bought as a gift for a twelve-year-old. This warning is well illustrated in Larry's first conquest, a lovely young lady called Tawni, found sunbathing topless on Nontoonyt's polluted beach. Larry soon finds a suitable gift to impress her, and she repays him in kind right there on the sand, fully-animated and to music! Pity about the crabs...
The game itself is not easy, and unlikely to be purely a romp for Larry. Sacked by his boss, Larry is penniless, and has to trade wits for oats. The game's narrative form is belied by the initial appearance that things can be done in almost any order, once one or two essentials are out of the way. But second visits to earlier scenes offer useful objects not available earlier, and these are triggered by definite game events.
Patti herself has not turned up yet in my game, but I was assured by author and programmer Al Lowe when I met him last year, that Patti is playable as an alternative character when she appears, and things can be seen from a different angle.
The graphics are superb, with excellent animated sequences, all accompanied by sound effects and catchy music including the now-famous Larry theme tune. The parser and vocabulary range seem to have been improved over recent Sierra adventures, although movement is sometimes rather slow, and the system would be improved immensely by the inclusion of a GOTO (location) command, to allow instant transportation to previously visited places. My only criticism is what seems to be a glitch in the SAVE GAME facility - I could only save one position (twelve are promised) before my disk was diagnosed as full.
Larry III comes with an illustrated coloured guide to Nontoonyt island, and five disks. Now that is big!