Slightly better than the first Special Edition but some of the puzzles still leave more to be desired.
Gameplay: 3/5
+ The interface and menu system is so much better than the first Monkey Island: Special Edition. Now all you have to do is hold down right click over an object and a dial will appear so you can choose only a few selected actions that might pertain to that object. This makes it so much quicker and easier to interact with objects rather than the godawful system in the first game. The middle mouse button also functions as your inventory, which again seems more refined and easier to use. For a good part of the game I was able to figure out how to solve the puzzles, but there definitely reaches a point where you will have so many itmes in your inventory and so many places to visit and interact with that it is easy to get confused exactly what you're supposed to be doing. Your options are to 1) use an in-game hint, 2) keep playing for a much longer time until you actually stumble upon the right solution, or 3) use a walkthrough. I admit I took the third route, just because I wanted to finish the game and didn't feel like wasting time wandering around trying to use my objects with everything. If you're real good at adventure games this might not be too much of a problem for you, but I find it to be the biggest gripe with the genre. I guess it's the nature of the game, but I wish some of the puzzles weren't so hard to figure out if it's your first time playing through.
Story/Presentation: 5/5
+ Again, the characters, the world, and the humor are excellent. The story has its ups and downs and at times is better and worse than the first story. But overall if you enjoyed the first, you'll definitely enjoy the second. Guybrush is too foolishly appealing not to like. The only part I'm undecided upon was the ending after the final confrontation with LeChuck. I'm not going to spoil it, but once you beat the game you might feel a little disappointed with the ending, too. But even still it's nothing to destroy the appeal of Monkey Island.
Graphics: 3.5/5
+ I think the character models were drawn with a lot more care this time around. Guybrush looks so much better than he did in the first Special Edition. Plus, some of the animations are a lot more fluid. Notice I said some...there are still a lot of animations that are jerky and unnatural because only two sprites are used. It seems like the graphics were half-assed, with some getting a lot more attention while others were just slapped together. I still think a little more effort could have gone a long way, especially for a remake.
Value: 3.5/5
+ Depending on how adept you are at adventure games, and how patient you are, the game can probably last anywhere between 3 to 10+ hours. By using a walkthrough halfway through, I managed to complete it within 4 some hours. But there is an achievement to complete the game in 3 hours so it's definitely possible to do it faster. I do think that in general the second Monkey Island game was better than the first, and they are still good games to play to revisit the early history of PC gaming. One bonus feature that this game includes is audio commentary and unlockable concept art. I haven't listened to the audio commentary yet, but these small features help make you feel like you're getting just that little bit more for your money.