Warning: some of this information might be incorrect, incomplete, or useless. If it is, please correct me!

If you've played the special edition with the new graphics, you'll know that using the inventory is a lot harder than with the classic graphics interface (not to mention the original game). However, Stan would say that this baby's LOADED with extras!

For instance... Did I tell you about the automatic item selection?

Whenever you open the inventory, you'll see one item gets a yellow border. That item will be selected if you press the enter key. You can control which item will be selected by opening the inventory, positioning the cursor on the item (so it gets the yellow border), and then closing the inventory. The next time you open the inventory, the yellow border will still be on that item.

So, for example, while walking to enter the circus, open the inventory pressing I (or Alt), position the cursor on the pot, and close the inventory pressing I/Alt once again. Now, when you have to give the pot to the Fettucini brothers, you can position the cursor on the place where they will be (do it right after Guybrush enters the circus), press I/Alt, press G (give), press Enter (to select the pot) and click on the brothers.

Note that there's a small delay between the moment you select the item and the moment you can use it (maybe due to the time it takes the cursor to change from "inventory mode" to "interaction mode"). That means you might need to click with the mouse more than once after selecting the item. But don't click several times if you do this while Guybrush is still walking to the place where he's going to use/give the object, or the second click will cancel the action. In these cases, you usually have plenty of time, so wait a bit before clicking. The only place where this might be an issue is when giving the fish to the troll; you can't walk to the troll and then use the item, since walking to the troll will trigger a dialog.

This method isn't significantly faster than using the mouse (maybe a few tenths of a second in some places), but I think it's more consistent. And, after all, replacing two clicks with 4 consecutive inputs because it might save a couple of frames in a 45-minute run is exactly what speedrunning is about! One thing to note is that, if you use the mouse, trying to speed things up by positioning the cursor on the place where the element will appear before opening the inventory is tricky. If you open the inventory without moving the cursor, clicking on the item will do nothing (unless it already had the yellow border). You'll have to move the cursor again (even if it's one pixel) and then click on the item, which makes proper mouse movement even harder.

You can also position the cursor on the item you need before giving the meat with condiments to the poodles (while walking to the mansion, open the inventory, position the cursor on the meat, and then close the inventory), giving the breath mints to Otis (do it while walking back from the mansion), giving the fish to the troll (do it at the lookout point), using the chicken on the cable (do it at the lookout point), using the shovel with the X (do it while walking through the forest), using the mug with lock (do it while walking to the jail), using the gunpowder with the cooking pot (do it after getting the ink), using the gunpowder with the cannon nozzle (do it while walking back from the hatch; you might need to scroll on one screen and position the cursor on another), using the first rope on the strong branch (do it right after using the lens with the sun, before the dam explodes), giving the little idol to the cannibals (do it while exiting the clearing), giving the leaflet to the cannibals (do it while exiting the village after giving them the little idol), using the magnetic compass with the key (do it while walking to the ghost ship, after using the necklace), using the key with the hatch (do it after picking up the jug o'grog), or using the glob of grease with the door (do it after getting the glob of grease). The same principle simplifies using the ghostly feather with the sleeping ghost crew the second time around; no need to move the cursor back to the feather and back to the ghost.

Unless you have three hands, you'll probably need to configure your keyboard to take advantage of this feature. For example, I map my "F" key so it becomes "Enter". Another option would be using a mouse with 5 buttons and configuring one of them so pressing it is equivalent to pressing the Enter key.

But wait, there's more! Did I tell you about the automatic NEXT item selection?

When you get rid of an item, the item which followed it in the inventory will be the one that gets selected. This is particularly useful when giving the bananas to the monkey. After giving it the first banana, keep the mouse cursor on the monkey and press I/Alt, then G (to give), then Enter (to select the next banana) and then click on the monkey. You won't have to move the cursor at all. Repeat until you're out of bananas.

But wait, there's more! Did I tell you about the auto-scrolling?

When you get rid of the last item in your inventory, there's no "next item", so the item that will be selected will be the first one, meaning the inventory will automatically scroll to the top. This can be annoying in a couple of places.

The first one takes place at the end of Part II. After finishing the recipe, you hopefully don't forget to go back to the hatch to pick up more gunpowder, which means the gunpowder will be your last item. The fastest way to use the cannon is to first use the gunpowder with the cannon nozzle and then use the rope with the cannon. However, since the gunpowder was your last item, after using it the first item in the inventory will be selected and you'll have to scroll down before using the rope. So, instead, pick up the rope after you've finished the recipe and you've taken more gunpowder. This way the gunpowder won't be the last item and you won't have to scroll to use the rope. Moreover, after using the gunpowder, the rope will become the selected item, which is exactly what you need.

The second situation also has to do with ropes. When using the ropes in the crack, the order matters: use the one that appears first on your inventory or you'll have to scroll down the inventory in the middle of the process.

The good part is that we can use the auto-scroll to our advantage when adding the ingredients to the cooking pot in Part II. Instead of picking up the Jolly Roger at the beginning, pick it up right before going to the kitchen to add the ingredients to the cooking pot. Add the gunpowder, wine, cereals, ink and cinnammon and then the Jolly Roger. The inventory will scroll to the top, where you can easily select the map to get the flamming mass (if you do it earlier the Jolly Roger will no longer be the last item) and then add the chicken and the mints. Note that, given your inventory at this point, after using the map, the chicken will automatically become the selected item when opening the inventory (since the chicken was next to the map) and when using the chicken, the breath mints will become the selected item. That means you can use these items while keeping the cursor on the cooking pot.

These techniques will help you lower the time it takes to add the ingredients to the cooking pot in part II to a time similar to the one you get when using the classic interface. Playing the original game will still be faster, since it has better keyboard support for the inventory.

After finishing the recipe, pick up the pot, exit the kitchen and, while you're walking to the hatch, open the inventory and scroll down so you won't waste time doing so later.

But wait, there's more! Did I tell you about the reverse item usage?

Just like in the original game, instead of using an item with the cooking pot, you can use the cooking pot with an item. The advantage of this approach is that the delay between selecting the item and using it is gone: press U (to use), click the pot, press I/Alt, press Enter, and you'll use the item immediately.

But wait, there's more! Did I tell you about the arrow-keys navigation?

You can also use the arrow keys to browse through the items. For example, after giving Otis the breath mints, in the inventory the gopher repellent will be immediately below the breath mints, so you can press I/Alt, G (to give), down arrow, Enter (to select the gopher repellent) and then click on Otis. You can do a similar thing when using the ropes in the crack in Part III.

It might sound hard, but it's just a matter of configuring your keyboard and then practicing a few times. It is slower than the technique to use the item that already has the yellow border, though, because you need 5 inputs instead of 4, so whether it's worth it is up to you!

But wait, there's more! Did I tell you about combining some of these techniques together?

When you get the ghostly feather, you might not have enough time to position the cursor on this item before getting to the room with the sleeping ghost crew. And, even if you manage to do it, chances are you won't have time to position the cursor where it should be in order to quickly walk near the ghost's feet. Don't despair! After getting the key, while going to the room with the ghost chicken, open the inventory, position the cursor on the ghost key, and close the inventory. Now, after getting the feather, click on the passage so Guybrush starts walking towards it, open the inventory and press the right arrow key while, at the same time, you move the cursor so it will appear on the ghost's feet when entering the next room. If you're quick enough, you'll be good to go before Guybrush enters the passage.

You can do a similar thing in order to use the mug with the barrel. While walking to the scumm bar, open the inventory, position the cursor on the note, and close the inventory. Then, pick up the mugs and, after entering the kitchen, press U (to use), click on the barrel, press I/Alt, right arrow, Enter. I've tried to find a way to open the inventory and position the cursor on the mug before entering the kitchen without losing time, but no luck so far.

But wait, there's more! Well, not really. I think you can live without this particular piece of junk.

The Tab key does the same thing as the mouse right button, meaning that, after positioning the cursor on an item and using the keyboard to select "Use [item] with", you can press Tab to finish the command. However, if you press Tab between the moment you select the item and the moment you can use it (the delay mentioned earlier), the action will be cancelled, so it's not really worth it.