[guy4261]

> In more practical terms, however, it steered the burgeoning Monkey Island franchise straight into a cul de sac with no obvious escape.

Without getting into (almost any specific) spoilers of the last 10 seconds of the game... this claim is completely untrue. The hint at a sequel is right there in the open, as the ending implies LeChuck is still at large.

[COGlory]

#2, not #3

[mrob]

At the end of MI2, "Chuckie" looks at the screen and his eyes flash, implying he's still really LeChuck. Additionally, there's scene of Elaine speculating about a voodoo curse. Ron Gilbert never "sequel-proofed" the game; the route that MI3 takes was deliberately left open.