Leisure Suit Larry is one of video gaming’s most memorable characters. 

While he might be remembered for being a pervert, he’s also remembered for being the mascot of a successful video game series that started at the end of the eighties. Kids of the nineties who had a PC at home might have found their way to any number of the Leisure Suit Larry video games (whether or not it was age-appropriate for them at the time).

For anyone who missed the video game series entirely, Leisure Suit Larry was basically Family Guy’s Quagmire wrapped up in an adventure game where players got Larry around the game by typing text commands. Most of it was risque in nature (and you spent most of the game getting Larry either into or out of various suspect situations). 

For curiosity’s sake, Quagmire first appeared in 1999, while Larry appeared in 1987… Make of this what you will.

It was an entire game series sustained on bad jokes – with puzzles.

Playboy Magazine had great articles, and Leisure Suit Larry had great gameplay puzzles.

It was inappropriate and lewd, but that was also the point.

It took a lot of thinking, especially if you had to decipher the game without the manual. Usually, I’d guess until something worked and then feel pretty accomplished until the next stage (and the next few days or weeks).

Why am I mentioning Leisure Suit Larry in the same sentence as bridge? 

He makes an interesting cameo in Hoyle Classic Card Games (4) as a possible opponent at any of the available card games in the game, of which one is bridge. 

Here’s the official trailer for the game (YouTube).

It’s a fun throwback for anyone who enjoyed the original Leisure Suit Larry games, the Hoyle series of games – or just a game of bridge at a time where graphics were a little different. 

Other characters in the game include Dr Brain and Pepper – all from Sierra games canon at some or other point, inserted as a tribute.

Any video game characters you’d take on as bridge partners or opponents?