Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition Walkthrough

While the original Secret of Monkey Island may be more than 30 years old (gulp), its remake comfortably holds up today in terms of story, humor, and all-around fun. My full walkthrough of Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is below if you’re working through this point-and-click classic. 

Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition Full Walkthrough

You won't be disappointed if you're checking out this classic because you enjoyed Return to Monkey Island. However, some of the puzzles are devilishly tricky to solve. This walkthrough will guide you through the things you need to do to complete the game. However, for the full Monkey Island experience, click everything and talk to everyone to make sure you don’t miss any gags.

If you're used to the original, the verb system can be a little tricky here. All the verbs you need (give, pick up, open, etc) are here but you need to open the verb menu to access most of them. You can have both the verb and inventory menus open at once though, allowing you to easily select and use items.

Finally, note that although you can get frustrated while playing the Secret of Monkey Island, you can't actually die. Sometimes you need to act quickly to get something done, but failing just means you have to try again.

Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, Part 1: The Three Trials

Read the poster (a1), and then walk a little to your right (a2), open the door, and enter the Scumm Bar. 

Talk to Mancomb Seepwood (b1), tell him you want to be a pirate, and ask where you can find the Governor. Go through all the chat options to find that the fearsome pirate LeChuck fell in love with her. 

Move on to the next table and speak to the one-eyed pirate there (b2), to find that LeChuck died but now haunts the seas in his ghost ship. He’ll also tell you that to get a drink, your best bet is to find a mug and sneak into the kitchen. Walk right (b3) into the next room.

Talk to the important-looking pirates and tell them you want to be a pirate. They’ll tell you that to become a pirate you must show them proof that you’ve mastered swordplay, thievery, and treasure huntery. Ask about each to get the following details:

1. Get a sword, train, and then beat the Sword Master
2. Procure them the Idle of Many Hands from the Governor’s Mansion
3. Get a map and then find the Legendary Lost Treasure of Monkey Island

Walk through to the kitchen by heading through the door to the right. You can only do this when the cook has left to go to the bar, so wait by the pirates for him to leave and then go inside. Pick up the Chunk of Meat on the table (c1) and the Pot underneath it (c2). 

Move out the back door, and a seagull will swoop down and start eating the fish there. Stand on the bottom-right section of planks (c3) and one will flick up, scaring the bird temporarily. Do this three times and the seagull will fly off, allowing you to quickly take the Red Herring (c4) before it returns.

Leave the bar, head left past the poster (a3), and back up the cliffside to where you started. Move through the archway to access the main map. Move to the clearing in the middle of the map (see above), walk left until you see the circus tents, and head inside. 

Earning some pieces of eight

Talk to the Fettuccini Brothers. When they ask if you have a helmet, say of course, and give them the pot. They’ll fire you from the cannon and then give you 478 Pieces of Eight. 

Head back to the village the way you came, past the Scumm Bar, and keep going right until you arrive in the town. Talk to the Citizen of Melee (d1) and when he asks if you have a cousin called Sven, ask if it’s a code. He’ll stop the conversation, so talk to him again and say you want a map. He’ll sell you the Map for 100 Pieces of Eight. 

Move to the door on the left of the same screen (d2) and head into the Voodoo Store. Take the Rubber Chicken on the table and head back outside (although you shouldn’t miss out on talking to the Voodoo Lady, to the right, for some great dialogue). Head back outside and walk through the archway on the left of the screen (d3).

On the next screen head down the alleyway (e1), where you’ll be approached by a stranger. Choose any options you like to find out you’re talking to the Sheriff. Head back out of the alleyway, go through the door on the far left of this area (e2), and into the prison. Talk to the prisoner inside to find that he wants to eat something minty fresh. 

Go back out of the prison and head into the door to the right of the alleyway (e3). Pick up the Shovel and the Sword, ring the bell on the counter, buy both items (the sword costs 100 pieces of eighth and the shovel costs 75), and ask the shopkeeper for a Breath Mint (which will cost you an additional 1).

Finding the Sword Master

While you’re still talking to the shopkeeper, ask if he knows where you can find the Melee Island Swordmaster. He knows but says he’ll have to ask them to see if they’re willing to give you a face-to-face meeting. You have to be quick here, as you need to follow the shopkeeper out of the shop and keep close to him to find the secret route. While he says he’ll only go once, if you lose his trail, simply head back to the store and ask again. He’ll do the following:

1. Leave the store and head right, back to the clock tower screen
2. Left from there, back past the Scumm Bar, and up to the cliffside
3. Onto the map and along to the fork in the road (see above)

You’ll see a figure moving across the map and then disappear. Click where they disappear, the fork, and you’ll appear in the forest. Keep following him across the maze screens but stop long enough to pick the Yellow Flowers as you pass them (don’t worry, you have a few seconds to do this without worrying about losing the storekeeper). Eventually, you’ll arrive at the hideout.

When the storekeeper leaves, walk up and talk to the Sword Master, Carla. She’s not willing to train you yet and tells you to beat it until you’ve got some rudimentary skills. Note that once you’ve been there, you can quickly return by clicking the Sword Master location on your map.

How to complete the Treasure Huntery trial

Leave the Sword Master’s Cabin and you’ll arrive right back at the fork on the main map. Examine the treasure map in your inventory to find that, rather than a map, it’s a set of dance instructions! However, don’t be fooled as they give you everything you need to find the treasure. 

Using back to mean the middle option on a screen, and left and right to mean the sides, simply enter the forest again at the fork and follow the instructions: Back (to the yellow flowers), left, right (to the red flowers), left, right, back (to more red flowers), right, left, and back. Walk right here to find a large X marked on the floor with a large sign next to it. Use the shovel on the X to dig up and take a T-shirt. Once you have it, leave the area to return to the main map.

How to complete the Sword Mastery trial

Move to the lights on the main map (above) and talk to the troll to find you need to pay a toll.

Give the troll your red herring and then continue down the path to the house at the end beyond the lights to Captain Smirk’s Big Body Pirate Gym.  

Knock on the door, talk to the Captain, and keep telling him you have what it takes until he agrees to train you. Give him 30 pieces of eight, show him your sword, and the training will begin. After a while, he’ll let you in on the secret of sword fighting. If you’re new to Monkey Island combat, it’s all about trading insults. 

I’ve included the full list of insults and answers below. The trainer will give you the first couple of answers (your responses to him don’t matter) but you still have to learn the rest. When he’s done with you, return to the map.

Now, when pirates walk past and you enter a conversation with them, you’ll have the option to challenge them (‘Prepare to die!’). You need to build up your stock of answers by hearing new insults, after which you can use them yourself in battle until you hear the answers. So reading the answers below won’t help at first, as you can’t use any insult or answer until you’ve seen it in battle.   

You get nothing from winning or being defeated except more knowledge, so there’s nothing to fear. Note that each insult and answer can only be used once per battle. Remember that once you have a new insult, use it and hope your opponent gives you the answer. If you have all your answers and need to hear new insults, ask one of the original rubbish insults as the pirate is guaranteed to win, meaning they may then use an insult on you that you haven’t heard yet. 

Defeating the Sword Master

There’s no set point at which you should go back and challenge Carla the Sword Master, but you’ll want to know all but a couple of the insults and their answers before you do. 

The fight goes a similar way, except even when you get a reply correct she’ll keep insulting you. Get five correct answers in a row though, and she’ll be defeated. The reward? Another lousy T-shirt. But it’s not quite that simple. While you are equipped with the correct answers, Carla asks different questions! Don’t worry - you’ll find all the combinations below.

How to complete the Thievery trial

Return to town, head to the screen with the general store and the prison, and leave it through the archway on the left to go to the Governor’s Mansion. Combine the meat and the yellow flower in your inventory together, and then use the Meat With Condiment on the dogs to put them to sleep. Move past them and go into the mansion. 

Go into the door just inside (see above) and a rather silly fight will break out with the sheriff. After this long but entertaining cutscene, the sheriff will be locked in a room in the mansion and you’ll have a Staple Remover, a Manual of Style, some Wax Lips, and some Gopher Repellent in your inventory. However, what you need is a file. 

Go back to the prison, give the mints to the prisoner, and then talk to him some more. You’ll find out his name is Otto and that, allegedly, he’s innocent. He says he didn’t pick any of the yellow flowers in the forest, which is apparently against the law. Oops…

If you ask him for a file, surprisingly he doesn’t have one, but he does say he’ll give you some Carrot Cake if you help him get rid of the rats. Give him the gopher repellent, take the cake, and use it in your inventory to find a File.

Return to the mansion, go through the gaping hole, and after another extended battle scene, you’ll reappear with the Idol. Talk to the sheriff, tell him the idol should be in a museum, and talk to Elaine, the Governor.    

When she leaves, attempt to leave the mansion and you’ll be confronted by the sheriff once more. He’ll throw you in the sea but all you need to do is pick up the Idol to climb out (you’ll also take a Sword as you leave the water). Unfortunately, when you get onto land, you’ll find LeChuck has kidnapped the Governor! Ask the lookout where he’s taken her and you’ll be told Monkey Island. He also gives you a note written by LeChuck himself.

Getting the crew together

Head back to the Scumm Bar to find all the pirates have gone. Walk through to where the important-looking pirates were and take three of the Mugs on the tables. Talk to the Cook to find out that if you speak to Smilin’ Stan, you can get yourself a ship, and you can say the cook sent you. Now use a mug on the barrel in the kitchen to get a Melting Mug and head to the prison.

You have to move fast as the mug will start to melt away. You won’t have time to do the whole journey with one mug, so when it starts to lose shape (you’ll see it in the bottom right of your screen), transfer it in your inventory to another mug. Transferring it at least twice takes the stress out of it! This way you can make it to the prison with a melting mug still intact.

Once at the prison, tell Otto that the Governor has been kidnapped. He’ll tell you he’ll join your crew if you let him out, so use the Melting Mug on the lock to free Otto. If the mug has already melted, repeat the process at the Scumm Bar to get another melted mug.

Head to the main map and return to the Sword Master. Tell her the Governor has been kidnapped and she’ll agree to join your crew. Go back to the main map and head to the northeast corner, where it is marked Island. Climb up the pole and then use the rubber chicken on the cable to scoot over to Hook Island. Open the door to the house there and go inside. 

Meathook will come and talk to you, so tell him about the kidnapping. Tell him you’re putting a crew together but he’ll need you to prove yourself before he’ll take you seriously. Open the final door, touch the Parrot inside, and Meathook will join you. 

Sam’s Used Ship Emporium

Return to the map once more (you’ll need to use the chicken on the cable again) and go to the Used Ship Emporium. Tell Sam you don’t have much to spend. He’ll show you the Sea Monkey. Tell him you were hoping to get credit and he’ll tell you to get a job first. Before you leave, he’ll give you a Business Card and a Compass. Head back to the village. 

Head to the general store, ring the bell, and talk to the shopkeeper. Tell him you want to procure a note of credit. He’ll ask if you have a job, so reply that of course you do. He’ll go up to the safe and open it. Note the directions (clockwise is pull, anticlockwise is push) and the number of clicks of each turn (1 to 4). There will be four to remember.

He’ll refuse you credit whatever you say and then put the note back in the safe (allowing you to check the combination once more). Tell him you want to see the Sword Master and he’ll then leave the store, so head up to the safe and get a Credit Note. I can’t give you the combination, as it is randomly generated for each play-through. 

Return to Stan’s, ask to see the cheap one again, and tell him you got credit from the storekeeper. You’ll now need to do some bargaining. Ask him what he thinks it’s worth, start to walk away, and then say maybe you’re right. Each time you repeat the process, he’ll reduce the asking price until he lets walk away.  Talk extras, and reject them all (they don’t affect the storyline). Now make him offers. Start at 2,000 and go up, repeating offers if you like, until he bites. He’ll sell at 5,000, although it seems to be random what you can get away with and how the reductions work. Return to the village, you’ll get another Stan cutscene, and the crew will arrive.

Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, Part 2: The Journey

Once you find yourself in the cabin, take the Feather Pen and the Ink from the desk (f1). Open the draw (f2) and then look inside to find a Dusty Book. Look at the dusty book in your inventory to read the captain’s log, which also gets you a Bookmark. Head out the door (f3).

Climb up the rope ladder (g1), pick up the Jolly Roger from the crow’s nest, and go back down to the deck. Now use the hatch behind Meathook (g2) to go down to the lower deck.

Use the hatch here to go down to the hold. 

Open the chest (h1) and then look inside to get some Fine Wine. Also, pick up the Giant Piece of Rope (h2) and open the keg (h3) to get some Gunpowder. Now go back up to the lower deck and use the door at the back to enter the galley.

Open the cupboard and pick up some Cereal (i1) and the Pot (i2). Open the cereal in your inventory to get a Prize, and then open the prize in your inventory to find a Small Key. Return to the cabin, use the key to open the cupboard (f4), and open the chest you find inside. Look at the open chest to get a Piece of Paper and some Cinamon Sticks. Open the piece of paper in your inventory to get the Directions to Monkey Island.

How to make the Monkey Island Directions soup

Return to the galley and add ingredients to the cooking pot (i3). Use the following items on the cooking pot (I used all of them to make the soup, but I’m not sure they were all required):

• Grog-O-Mints
• Rubber Chicken
• Ink
• Jolly Roger
• Fine Wine
• Gunpowder
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Both T-shirts
• Feather Pen
• Cereal

You’ll know it has worked as you’ll pass out. When you wake up, use the map on the fire beneath the cooking pot (i4) to get a Flaming Mass. 

Head back up onto the deck to find you’ve arrived at Monkey Island. Use the rope on the cannon (g3), add gunpowder to the cannon nozzle (g4, you may need to go down to the hold to get more),  use the pot, and away you go!

Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, Part 3: Under Monkey Island

Pick up the Banana, read the note on the tree, and then walk into the jungle. 

Head west, go to the beach there, read another note, and speak to Herman (when he shows up) about your ship. When he walks off, follow him back into the jungle. 

Head into the crater and walk around the south side of it until you arrive at a Fort. Take a Spyglass (j1), and some Rope (j2), and then pull the canon (j3) to make the Cannonball and some Gunpowder fall out of it. Pick both up, wait for Herman to show up, and have another chat with him.

He’ll soon wander off but you can leave, go straight back into the fort, and he’ll come back. Run through all the chat options with Herman until he tells you about his key. Herman says he won’t give you it until he gets his banana picker back. 

Leave the crater and head east along the river until you get to the river fork. Take the Rock (k1) and as you do, you’ll read the note underneath it. Cross the bridge here, and click the footholds (k2) to climb up. 

Look at yet another note, push and pull the rock art until it is in position below, and then climb up the next set of footholds. 

How to use the rock art

Push the rock that’s on the edge of the cliff. If you’ve lined up the rock below correctly, you’ll see the rock fly off into the distance and hit a tree. I’m not sure it’s always at the same angle, but you’ll know when you hit it because Guybrush tells you. Go back down and there will be another note to collect next to the rock art.

Head back down and cross back over the bridge to where you picked up the rock and the note. Just to the right is a dam (k3). Use the gunpowder on the dam and then use the rock with the cannonball (both in your inventory) to blow the dam.

Move to the pond you’ve just created, look at the note there, and take the Rope on the corpse. 

Go back to the jungle, head east toward the small strip of land, and then go to the beach there.

Read the message in a bottle, go back to the jungle, head back west and then south, and visit the crack (just north of where you first entered the jungle). 

Use the rope with the strong branch and climb down to the sturdy stump (see above). Use the remaining rope on the sump to climb down again and pick up the Oars.

Head back to the beach you arrived at. As long as you fired the rock correctly, you can now pick up two more bananas (if not you’ll have to head back up to the lookout spot and try again!). Once you have the bananas, use the oars in the rowboat to sail around the island.  

Rowing around the island  

Row east around the island and stop off at the beach to look at another note. Walk into the jungle next and go to the cannibal village.

Once inside, walk left until you find some fruit and pick up two more bananas (you should now have five in your inventory). As you walk back from the fruit basket, you’ll be captured by the cannibals (your reply won’t affect things).

Look at the Note (l1), pick up the Skull (l2), and then use the loose board (l3, it's a slightly different color and the skull was on top of it) to pull it up. Click the hole to escape the hut. 

Get back in the boat, head back to the south of the island, walk back into the jungle, and find the monkey just to the south of the crack. Click the monkey to appear in a small jungle spot with it. Give all five of the bananas to the monkey. When you go back to the map, the monkey will now follow you. 

Walk with the monkey to the clearing on the small eastern part of the island. 

Head right until you get to the gates. Pull the nose (see above) to open the gate, but as you walk away the gate closes. Luckily, your new monkey pal will climb up and pull down the nose itself, allowing you to go through. 

Pick up the Wimpy Little Idol (above), head back to your rowboat, and then go back to the cannibal village. Walk back to the fruit bowl, and away again, to be confronted with the cannibals once more.

Again, the reply doesn’t matter. When they ask for an offering, give them the idol. If you don't give them the idol quickly enough, they'll throw you back in jail. But you can just escape again through the same hole, speak to them again, and then give them the idol.

You’ll find the prison hut is now open, so head back inside. With the door open you can now take out the Banana Picker (l4), so grab it and leave. As you leave the hut, you’ll bump into Herman. Give him the banana picker, he’ll give you the Monkey Head Key. Go to your boat, row back to the south of the island, return to the clearing, and use the key (on its ear) to open the giant monkey head’s mouth and go inside. 

Inside the monkey’s head

Before going any further, you need to return to the cannibal village. Head in, talk to the cannibals, and they’ll tell you that they need a specific root to defeat LeChuck. Unfortunately, there’s only one, and he stole it from them. You’ll need a way to navigate his catacombs, so keep talking to them until they tell you about the Navigator’s Head. Give them the ‘How to Get Ahead in Navigating’ pamphlet and they’ll give you the Head of the Navigator. 

Go back into the caves under the Monkey’s Head and use the head. The way it faces is the direction you need to go in. This can feel as if you’re just going in circles, but trust the skull and you’ll soon arrive at LeChuck’s ghost ship.

Walk to (but not onto) the ship, and then talk to the head until it allows you to use the Necklace on Navigator. Use the necklace and head onto the ship. Walk left of the dog (m1) and enter the cabin to be faced with LeChuck! Lucky you’re invisible. Use the compass on the key hanging on the wall to get the Key and then head back onto the deck. 

Head down the hatch (m2) next and walk past the bunks into the store room. Pick up the Ghost Feather (n1) and return to the bunks.

Use the feather on the sleeping ghost crew to make them drop the bottle of grog. To make this work, you need to be standing next to its feet. You also need to do it twice. Once they drop it, pick up the Jug O’ Grog.

Return to the storeroom, use the key to open the hatch (n2), and step inside. Use the grog on the dish next to the scary rat, which will drink it and collapse. You can now pick up a Glob of Grease. 

Head back up onto the deck and use the glob of grease on the door on the right (m3) to stop it from creaking, allowing you to open it and go inside. Pick up the Ghost Tools, use them on the glowing crate in the storeroom (n3), look at the open chest, and take the Voodoo Root. 

Leave the ship, walk back towards the cave, and you’ll be automatically returned to the cannibal village. The cannibals will head off and then return to give you the Magic Seltzer Bottle. 

Leave the village and you’ll arrive back in the caves, where you’re confronted by a ghost pirate named Bob. The ship has gone and it seems LeChuck has headed back to the church on Melee Island to marry the Governor! Your mutinous crew arrives, so you all set off together to try and stop the wedding.

Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, Last Part: Guybrush Kicks Butt

When you arrive back on Melee Island, walk right and make your way to the church (it's on the same screen as the prison and the general store). If you meet any ghost pirates along the way, use the Magic Seltzer Bottle on them. Head into the church.

You can use any of the chat choices to stop the wedding. It turns out that the Governor had everything under control, the bride you thought was her was actually two monkeys standing on each other’s shoulders, and you’ve ruined everything! Nice work.

Elaine runs off after the monkeys to try and get the magic seltzer bottle back, leaving you facing off with LeChuck. No matter which of the dialogue choices you make, your own seltzer bottle will jam and you’ll get an almighty smack from LeChuck that sends you all the way to Stan’s Used Ship Emporium. 

There are two possible outcomes at this point, but only one possible ending. To complete the game, you need to pick up the Root Beer bottle and then use it on LeChuck before he attacks you once more. If you fail to do it quickly enough, you’ll take quite the beating (which is frankly a lot of fun to watch and keeps the game going). 

After the beating, again, you simply need to use the root beer on LeChuck. When you do so he will explode (enjoy the instant replay), leaving you to do your best to talk to Governor Elaine. Unfortunately, you seem to have forgotten to bring poor old Herman back to Melee Island with you, but on the bright side, congratulations—you’ve completed the Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition! 

Looking for more Monkey Island-related information here at Pro Game Guides? Check out How the hint book works in Return to Monkey Island and the Sea of Thieves Monkey Island Key Locations!