Monty Python is a British comedy troupe famous for their BBC television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus which aired from 1969 to 1974. Monty Python’s success was not limited to television. Monty Python also featured in movies, stage plays, books, album recordings and recreational games. Monty Python was responsible for designing or inspiring the creation of video games, board games and card games. The following Monty Python games were introduced to the market between the 1970s and today: Monty Python's Flying Circus (1990), Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (1994), Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1997), Python-opoly (2007), Monty Python Fluxx (2008), and Blazing Dragons.
There are a number of computer games based or inspired by Monty Python’s materials. Monty Python's Flying Circus, released in 1990, is a computer game released by Virgin Games for 8-bit systems such as the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The Monty Python theme plays on in the background while the player controls the character Mr. Gumby as he tries to recover his brains from a frog. Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time is a computer game released in 1994 by 7th Level for PC/DOS. The game features a maze that the player must navigate. The game Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail was released in 1996 by 7th Level. The game featured footage from the movie Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail. The graphics of the game is based on Terry Gilliam’s comic renderings. The game Monty Python's The Meaning of Life was released in 1997 also by 7th Level. The game is a strategy game that has several levels. The game levels are patterned from the film Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and some scenes from the movie are inserted in the game.
The board game Python-opoly, introduced in 2007, is a Monty Python-themed property game, similar to Monopoly hence the title, and released by Toy Vault Inc. Meanwhile, Monty Python Fluxx, introduced in 2008, is a card game released by Looney Labs.
The game Blazing Dragons, a graphic adventure video game, was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 by Crystal Dynamics. The game is based on the cartoon series Blazing Dragons which was created by Monty Python’s Terry Jones.
Monty Python’s influence in popular culture even up to these days is incomparable. This is evidenced by Monty Python’s presence in all forms of mass media, even in recreational games. The group’s sense of humor is a fitting source of fun that can be derived from playing Monty Python games.
