Humor is probably the hardest thing to pull off in a video game, but when done well, you can poke it with a fork and hear the sizzling laugh juices escape for a good long time. This brings me to Sam & Max Episode One: Culture Shock, the latest winner from Telltale Games. Released first as a Gametap exclusive, you non-broadband subscribers (or folks who were snoozing under a pile of phone books until now) can go get a retail copy over at the Telltale website. The return of the unbalanced pair of Freelance Police marks one of the best uses of the adventure format to date, particularly in terms of a supremely talented company rallying a fan base behind a new product featuring the comeback of characters that have been out of action for over ten years. Usually adventure games get the silent treatment - press releases in an editor's inbox that get ignored as he or she bypasses it in favor of a chance to see some big-budgeted licensed title that's a sequel to something they've already played a hundred times before. Granted, Sam & Max were in a game about thirteen years ago. Heck, they even had a cartoon that I vaguely recall because I boycotted TV for nine years (don't ask). Nevertheless, both Telltale and Gametap deserve your undying thanks and a bit of bowing and kissing of rings for their efforts at bringing the boys back to the gaming world.

In this episode, Sam & Max are called to investigate an oddball trio of ex-child stars who are under the influence of a crazed infomercial video maven. Each of the three 'Soda Poppers' is a piece of work and each one needs to be immobilized and interrogated by rather amusing means before you get to the head of the whole operation. But I'm getting ahead of myself here - what's immediately striking about the game is how well it takes advantage of the adventure game format. It really feels like an interactive story, with you using your brain a lot more than you'd think because you're cracking up every few minutes at something. Everything clicks, from the streamlined, super easy to use interface to the right number of dialog choices that make conversations go on for just as long as they should without growing stale. Telltale has taken the lessons learned from the two Bone games and made what's here brilliant and even more non-stop hilarious.

The opening sequence forgoes any drawn out introductions or recap of the comic, cartoon or PC game Sam & Max Hit the Road. You meet the boys as their telephone is stolen (inside their office by a rat) and the first puzzle involves getting it back. In true adventure game fashion, you point and click away, get a comment from one or both of the characters and move on. Adding some items to your inventory allows you to combine and/or use them, making the majority of tasks fairly simple. There's no need to worry about dying, although drawing a weapon or trying to leave Bosco's Inconvenience Store with a stolen item makes for a bit of a headache for poor Sam. The game keeps the puns and putdowns coming, but you're the one who controls what's said and where you go next. Once you find the phone and get out of the office, you can head to Bosco's, go take a ride in the De Soto for a fun mini-game or go see Sybil Pandemik, the psychiatrist who used to be a tattoo artist.

This non-linear structure not only makes the game seem loose and jazzy, it also allows different people to play in different ways. The first time through, I followed whatever messages and hints I read, but the second and third time I intentionally did stuff out of order for fun. You're not penalized, nor can you become stuck somewhere because you forgot something and are shut out from a certain area. That driving mini-game mentioned above is one example - on one hand you can hop in the De Soto as soon as you step out of the office and drive around harassing other cars for fun, ramming then pulling them over just to hear some hysterical dialog from Sam or Max. On the other hand, unless you're clairvoyant that early in the game, you'll find that there's a purpose to this diversion that actually advances the plot, as it nets you a necessary item you'll need to trade for another.

There are also a few parts not related to the plot that make for some chuckle-worthy moments. A dream sequence is pretty awesome, as there's no right or wrong way to get through it and amazingly enough you can see all the possible outcomes in one go. If you happen to have played the original Sam & Max game then you'll notice that the pair is a bit less crazy here, but still nowhere near what's considered normal! Perhaps they've mellowed with age or perhaps Telltale is taking the insanity down a few notches so they can perk it up in the next few installments. It's pretty funny to talk to players as either character - Sam is the calmer one of the pair, tossing off one-liners and making observations on Max's mental state, while Max is usually considering committing some sort of psychotic act in order to get results. Good-natured, in a weird way, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to get into an elevator with him!

Telltale have done an outstanding job on the presentation, updating the boys from their 2D roots perfectly to the polygon age. Characters and environments are rendered in a great cartoony style and everything looks and feels solid as a rock. You'll be checking out every clickable object just to hear what the boys say, as well as reading every sign you encounter. I practically fell out of my chair when I read one of Bosco's sale signs: 'Special - Buy One, Get One', partly because as soon as you meet him, his personality comes through in the rest of his shop and partly because I worked for a guy that said this to certain customers when he was in a cranky mood. Anyway, the interface and menus are also brilliant, allowing you to hop in and out of the game with ease. You can also adjust the resolution to your liking, so if you have a powerhouse machine you'll see the difference between someone running a low-end rig. Everything looks really crisp and runs perfectly with no issues at all, which is a great thing in this age of out of the box upgrading. Patches? Patches! We don't need no steenkin' patches!

The audio is quite remarkable as well; the bouncy jazz score sets the mood and the rest of the music locks a grin right on your face as you explore. The voice acting is exceptional and because the dialog is priceless the cast seems to have really gotten into their characters. Just recalling the Soda Poppers' distinct voices is enough to make my face start cracking a grin and Sybil sounds just like a tattoo artist turned psychoanalyst would, if that makes any sense! While it's possible to hear every comment in one play, Culture Shock is great enough to play through a few times when you need a lift. Given that Telltale has a bunch of episodes to go before Season One concludes, it's a given that the next set of cases will reveal even wackier interactions with new faces.

The best thing about all this is the price - for under nine bucks you're getting about four hours of gameplay (a little less if you're really smart or *gasp* cheat, you cheaters!) and with five more chapters on the way, the cost is absolutely affordable. There aren't really any quibbles, although I'd say to parents who haven't a clue - don't be fooled by the bright colors, bigheaded characters and Max's razor-sharp grin - kids under, I dunno, ten or so, will not get anything here, unless you've been a bad parent and have force-fed them every pop culture reference for the past fifteen years. Well, it's not that bad, actually; just expect to explain every joke they don't get! If you're purchasing this off Gametap, go let them play Sonic the Hedgehog or something. On the other hand, go buy the Bone games from Telltale's site, sit them next to you and play them as a rather offbeat bedtime story.

The return of Sam & Max is welcome indeed and Episode One: Culture Shock is only the first chapter. Telltale Games has tapped into what makes the genre click and has pointed the way for others to follow - I can't wait to see the rest of Season One and hope that these talented folks can continue to produce some of the most fun to play adventure games on the market. With one new episode scheduled per month, I know where I'll be headed when other games have let me down, that's for darn sure…

Reviewed by Greg Wilcox for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).