A lot of you might be too young to remember some of the old Leisure Suit Larry games. It was a series that started in the late 80's introducing a short, balding, and troublesome single guy looking to get some action with some of the hottest ladies around. The games leaned heavily on humor and not so much on interaction, but they ended up being pretty good in terms of fun and quality, considering the hardware at the time. Now, Vivendi Universal and the folks at High Voltage have brought the Leisure Suit Larry legacy back for more with the hero's console debut, Magna Cum Laude.

In the game, you take control of Larry's nephew, Larry Lovage, as he attends a university fresh with opportunities. Larry could go a number of directions with his classes...but, eh, screw that, who wants to learn with so much partying going on? He soon learns that a new dating game is auditioning for potential hotties on his campus, so he proceeds to brush up on his skills with a number of fantastic ladies and prove that the blood of the ladies' man lives within him, just like it did his more infamous relative. But the quest is not that easy, and Larry soon discovers many pratfalls, from getting too drunk to finding out that some girls require a bit more than just a crappy conversation.

The difference between High Voltage's attempt at the Leisure Suit Larry series and earlier PC efforts are the inclusion of several mini-games that offer a more hands-on approach than the previous games. It does heighten up the gameplay quite a bit, with a mixture of stuff that's mostly based on classic arcade games. For instance, there's a strange game of pong that features a number of power-ups and a meter that resembles a male organ gaining, um, momentum. There are also DDR-styled games that allow Larry to show off his dancing moves, as well as some drink mixing techniques to make that perfect cup of alcohol for the ladies. But the real standout here has to be quarters, where you use the analog stick to control Larry's arm in bouncing quarters off a table into a waiting bar glass. Hit the glass, your opponent drinks. If they hit the inside of the glass, you drink.

All of these games are built around a free-roaming engine, where Larry's mostly free to walk around and interact with a number of characters, like a crazy custodian who keeps talking garbage and the higher-up pledges who insist you provide them a little something before they let you in on another opportunity. While wandering around, you can engage in other fun little things, like relieving yourself in any given spot (to lighten up on your drunken state) or taking pictures here and there, which are ranked depending on the quality of the pictures (a babe included, basically).

It's great to see that High Voltage has included a few gameplay quirks to give the game an original touch and mount it past the typical text adventure that the Leisure Suit series is known for, but part of the problem also is that repetition can set in easily. Quarters gets quite easy to master, and there's only such a degree of difficulty that sets in before you begin to work your way up. Also, there aer very seldom rewards for your efforts. You work so hard to nail, say, a Texan babe who has a thing for ridiculous dancing, but once you hit the bedroom, one slight detail turns her off quicker than a box fan in Alaska. Sure, there's the times you actually get to see some boobs or ass (and that's about it; the rest, sadly, is censored), but considering your efforts, you expect maybe just a little something more besides little momentos and occasional body shots.

Fortunately, the game has a great amount of humor to keep you from getting frustrated. During dialogue parts of the game, you control a little sperm as it makes its way past particular icons. Passing green icons keeps Larry's conversation positive and upbeat, and also works to keep his heart (confidence level) from dropping off the map. Hitting a particular red face icon forces Larry to burp, while others force him to fart, make stupid comments, or wander in story that can basically kill his confidence. Granted, making a perfect story isn't always fun, so it's sometimes a treat to wander off and veer into something ridiculous. This is a cool little system that's put together well, and some of the results can be downright hilarious. This is due to some great voice acting, fitting the characters perfectly and allowing moods to come across with ease. When a girl is getting frustrated with you, trust me, you'll know. Sound effects are typical, and some of the music selections, including some typical 80's rock, make the feeling of a college campus come across better than expected.

The main problem with Leisure Suit Larry is that it only has so much to offer. There's quite a bit to explore here, some secrets to find, some babes to score with (despite the struggle), and some rewards to uncover, but once it's done, the game hits a brick wall. There's no new downloadable content off Xbox Live, no multiplayer challenges, not even a new Larry mode to make him come across as more exuberant. This hurts the game's replay value significantly, as there's not much reason to come back.

While it lasts, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is a good time. It's got a stellar presentation that packs humor aplenty, some mini games and challenges to uncover, and other little things to make the adventure worth at least one play-through. I just expected something more. But, then again, we are talking Leisure Suit Larry, so maybe we should consider ourselves lucky.