The game, which was open-ended and computer moderated, was active by 1989, expanded rapidly in North America, and within a few years had spread to Great Britain and Germany.
Monster Island received generally positive reviews during its early years and won the Origins Award for Best New Play-By-Mail Game of 1990.
[3] In 1993, Herb Helzer stated in Paper Mayhem, a play-by-mail magazine for gamers, that the game rights had also been sold to a German company which was preparing it for play.
Steven DuBois noted in 1997 that the initial turn sheet order format was simple for novices, but by the end of the first year of play, the list of possible commands was significant, allowing complex interactions with other players (monsters) and the environment.
Reviewer Steven DuBois stated in 1997 that the player interactions in Monster Island were the most "creative and fascinating" in his ten years of gaming.
[9] He noted that: The vast scope of the game, its careful attention to detail, its use of humor and its imaginative descriptions of the monster races themselves contribute to an attitude of frenzied role-playing amongst participants.
Cults of personality have emerged around such characters as Gath Soulshredder … Carbunkle (the acknowledged leader of insult warfare) and Marlin Perkins (considered by many to be the island's most dangerous monster).
[13] Reviewer Debra Leon Guerrero stated in 1992 that she found Monster Island "worth the time and money", adding that Adventures By Mail provided excellent customer service.
[14] As the years progressed, Monster Island earned a fair reputation, generally settling in the lower-middle of the play-by-mail game field.