Maybe 2/3rds of the way through the game...sharing my thoughts. There is some back and forth but Nelly is a likable character and the dialogue is amusing. Most, if not all, of the puzzles can be figured out with patience and intellect .

Most notable to me is the lack of a hint or skip button. Who knew that I would ever feel so beholden to a cheat? What!? You mean I actually have to stick with a screen, solve it, or quit the game? I think casual games, which I like on occasion, have spoiled me for the true adventure games that do not spoon feed you. Remember Myst? My goodness, i walked around that virtual world for days trying to figure out what to do...and loved every minute of it. Perhaps our modern world has lost that spirit of exploration, curiosity, and awe. Now it seems most of us want instant gratification--solve now!, hint now!

Anyway, Nelly Cootalot may not be the greatest game ever but, in the spirit of Monkey Island, it makes me chuckle, remember how to think, and how to stick with a game--and a thought--and a mindset.

It's interesting to hear your thoughts on this, because I feel that I've also been "spoiled" with easily accessible hints and walkthroughs (and also a little - I like to convince myself - because when I spent a lot of time reviewing games, I didn't want to get stuck on them for too long).

Now that I'm spending more time designing games than playing them, with the three commercial releases I'm working on, one was built with a hint system from the ground up (Troll Song), one had one implemented quite early though not right at the beginning (A Playwright's Tale), and one I've decided to NOT have a hint mode (Captain Disaster in Death Has A Million Stomping Boots), partly I guess to give it a more old school feel. I have to admit that I have often considered adding one in anyway so as to not alienate players who are used to it. (On the other hand I know there are gamers who point-blank refuse to make use of hints or a walkthrough under any circumstance!)