Fans of adventure games rejoice, because Sam & Max are back in town for a second season! The stoical dog and the hyperkinetic, ultra violent rabbity thing have returned after their six-month break and things are looking better than ever.

For those of you who don't know, the Sam & Max series is a comedic adventure that follows the exploits of two freelance police officers whose blend of esoteric violence and persistent aimless meandering makes them the best crime solvers in their particular street. The player controls Sam, a six-foot tall dog dressed in a sharp 1940s style suit. Sam's trusty sidekick, Max, tags along, making wry comments and committing acts of unspeakable sadism.

Rather than releasing one huge adventure game, publisher Telltale have delved into the murky waters of episodic gaming. They release one episode a month for six months and then take half a year's break. During this time they write new scripts, make improvements to the engine and so on, then the cycle restarts. It is a format that works incredibly well, not least because this developer actually sticks to their schedule (unlike, to pick an example at random, Valve).

Anyway, enough history and onto the first episode in the new season - Sam & Max Episode 201: Ice Station Santa. This episode sees our heroes journey to the North Pole, where Santa has gone mad and started shooting up his grotto. As a concept this is far from original - Futurama and Invader Zim both did episodes with a similar premise earlier this century. Thankfully, the actual plot of the game is new and offbeat enough to warrant the slightly clichéd setting. I won't ruin it for you, but be assured that it doesn't disappoint.

Graphically, nothing has really changed in the intervening six months except that the game now supports widescreen. The visuals in Sam & Max aren't exactly bad but they do look slightly laughable next to Crysis, despite their cartoony charms. However, it's nice to see a developer not frantically updating the graphics in order to pander to customers who refuse to buy games without the latest technology. As far as sound design goes, the voice acting and music are all top notch and considering that voice acting is one of those areas where developers often cut corners, Telltale deserve our respect here.

The standard point-and-click mechanics are present and correct - if you've played an adventure game since Discworld then you'll know what to expect. And if you haven't, well, what's wrong with you?! The gameplay has been slightly tweaked this time around - Sam can now run and you have the option for peripheral characters offer you clues if they think you're stuck. These aren't massive changes to the gameplay but why change a formula that works?

Okay, I've held off long enough. It's time to talk about the humour. Now, given how funny the previous incarnations of Sam & Max are, I'm sure that people will think I'm exaggerating - but believe me, I'm not. Ice Station Santa is the funniest incarnation of Sam & Max. Ever. The jokes are of a higher quality than they were in the previous games and there are far more of them. Never before in a computer game that I know of have jokes been so relentless! The humour is also significantly darker than it was in previous episodes. There are blatant instances of this, such as where you come across a toy in Santa's workshop consisting of a Sesame Street character strapped to a torture table (it's called a "Torture me Elmer". He comes with his own breakable spirit and detachable retinas!!) Then there are the subtle ones, such as breaking into Santa's bedroom and discovering a reindeer skin rug in front of the fire.

The obligatory puzzles return too, an element vital to any great adventure game. These vary when it comes to difficulty but there are no stupidly obscure ones, such as the infamous car paint puzzle in a previous episode, Reality 2.0. Most of the puzzles can be solved using slightly warped logic, which is quite a good basis for puzzles and it's rare that you find yourself genuinely stuck. If you ever do get stuck of course then you can turn on the hints at any point in the game, or ask a bystander for a clue.

The hints are much better than I expected them to be - I was expecting extremely clunky one-liners that basically tell you how to solve the puzzle, but instead the hints usually just tell you what location you're supposed to be in, which points you in the right direction at least and saves on a lot of the aimless wandering that plagues many adventure games. More specific hints are available if you are in the correct area and still haven't understood what's going on, but these are more cryptic and less helpful. Overall the system works well and should be welcomed by most players, as it saves you from alt-tabbing out mid-game to look for an online walkthrough.

One important thing I haven't mentioned is the price. Ice Station Santa by itself is $8.95 and the whole season is $34.95. Considering the quality that has been consistently demonstrated in the Sam & Max franchise by Telltale, they could have easily have gotten away with charging double that, making this a fantastic bargain, and even more so if you subscribe to the entire season (the only sane option for this insane series!)

Ice Station Santa does have flaws, though. I remain to be convinced by some of the new characters (although Jimmy Two-Teeth's Tourette's ridden son is a stroke of genius) and whilst it is nice to be able to run in these games, it's not as smoothly implemented as it might be. Also, if I'm being really, really picky I'd also say that the last act is a little rushed compared to the brilliant pacing evident in the rest of the game - but none of these flaws matter, they're just tiny niggles that in no way detract from the overall experience.

Sam & Max Episode 201: Ice Station Santa is hilarious, well structured, brilliantly acted and lovingly constructed. It's also easily the longest episode in the series so far. Any fan of adventure games should love it and the fantastic characters, story and script should convert a new generation of fans. This is a shining example of the genre and a must have purchase regardless of your usual gaming preferences.

Reviewed by Mike Morwood for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).