Things could not have been more carefree for our heroine Nelly. Sleeping on the high seas as the water guides her boat to wherever the current may take her. Soon though, she is awakened from her sleep and tasked with a quest, a quest designated by a former pirate of the seas who has passed on. It will not be an easy journey for Nelly, but she is a fearsome pirate, who will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this mystery. In Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy, take control of Nelly and try your best to solve the mystery of the missing Spoonbeaks, a mysterious bird species that has gone missing recently.  In order to do this, you must also explore the island: Barony of Meeth, and converse with its citizens, solving the many puzzles along the way. Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy has not only a great story, but also some funny and unusual characters and some excellent tunes to listen to.  There is plenty to see and do on this little island.

The story begins with our main character, Nelly Cootalot, sailing on the open seas. She is asleep, but she is soon awakened by the spirit of the great Captain Bloodbeard. There is trouble afoot on the Barony of Meeth, with a troubling situation. It appears that the Spoonbeaks, a famed species of bird, has gone missing from the island, and Captain Bloodbeard wishes for you to discover what happened to them. Nelly agrees to the request and soon arrives on the island, ready to begin her adventure to uncover the many mysteries that this island holds.

After you choose to either watch the introduction or simply skip it, you will be able to control Nelly. The game is a standard AGS adventure game, but with some differences than the standard adventure games built with this particular engine.  The game uses a verb coin system, similar to games such as Full Throttle or The Curse of Monkey Island. In order to interact with an object, you must hold down the left mouse button and the verb coin menu will appear. You will then be allowed to choose whether you wish to look at something, take something, or talk with someone. To access your inventory, simply press the right mouse button to open it up and examine the different objects you have picked up.

I found the story of Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy quite intriguing. While it may seem simplistic, compared to other adventure games, it fits nicely with the whole pirate theme that the game is trying to portray. From the different locations on the island, to the different characters you meet, they all fit nicely with the theme of the game, and do not seem out of place. Speaking of the characters in the game, all are quite fascinating and unique to encounter as you travel around the island. From the baroness, to the Vikings Bajorn and Olafssen, each character has their own charm, which adds to their depth. This is further strengthened by the great written dialogue for each character, which is often quite humorous to read their reactions to the questions Nelly asks them.

The music in the game is also quite nice, and fits the whole pirate theme. It is quite quiet but still noticeable, and does not distract from the game play on screen. These tunes fit nicely in each area, and were great to listen to as you explore the island.

There was only one concern I had, and that was with a few of the puzzles in the game, one of which being quite difficult to solve. Most of the puzzles in the game are quite straightforward and not too difficult, but there is one that I would rather not mention.  It did take some time for me to solve, and it could have perhaps been made a bit easier.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this adventure game and highly recommend it to any adventure fan, or for someone looking for an exploration type of game, you will not be disappointed with this one.