Let's get one thing out of the way now - I will assume that if you are reading this review of Episode 2 of the Sam & Max series that you already have some passing knowledge of Episode 1. I still won't pull a 'Vader is Luke's father' moment that some people who hadn't seen Empire before Jedi trailers started airing experienced (sorry if I just shocked you and welcome to 1980!), but I will likely drop some names and recurring themes and other minor references throughout. It won't ruin the experience any more than my having said that Bosco would become a recurring character would have ruined the first episode for you. Please also forgive the repetition, which is necessary for getting readers new to the series up to speed - if you've read it all before then skip straight to the game quote further down!

For the full history of Sam & Max, check out our review of Episode 1 - but in a nutshell, the LucasArts game Sam & Max Hit the Road from 1993 was a great mixture of adventure and humor, and has become a deservedly classic milestone in gaming history. After a false start for a series revival by LucasArts and a passionate Internet campaign by the fans, TellTale Games (creators of the excellent Bone series) gained ownership of the license and got straight to work, crafting a series using their adventure builder to tell stories through a point-and-click adventure interface featuring full 3D animation. The move to episodic content was a concern, but true to their word TellTale continue to release new episodes on a regular basis, and in some ways it's better to be forced to spread the experience out rather than wolf it down in one go.

The Sam & Max games use the TellTale tool that the company has developed and perfected over the years. The emphasis is on storytelling rather than delivering buzzword compliant technology, so expect loads of dialog and options, rather than the latest version of pixel shader models. This is actually a good thing, because so many games focus on delivering a great looking experience that they fail to deliver a great gaming experience. The TellTale Tool aims to do some of both - the game certainly is great looking, but in a 3D comic book style. This means that the world looks much like something out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit; everything looks real but exaggerated. The 3D styling makes everything look modern and the characters are all nicely animated, to the point where lip-syncing matched the dialog. The goal isn't realism so much as believability - I mean, how real do you expect a detective dog and his psychotic lagomorph sidekick to be?! The realism is injected into the dialog - the voice acting is superb and gets better with each passing episode! The voice actors really bring a wonderful passion and humor to their characters that makes each of them leap out of the screen and adds tremendous depth to already great stories - and the timing and delivery of the humor is spot on throughout.

The storytelling is where things really shine - the interface just begs you to click things, talk to people and try all sorts of crazy things. Quite simply, this is one of the nicest interfaces I have ever used in an adventure game. Everything is easily accessible - options and game saves are quickly located in a screen-level drop down and the inventory system is an ever-present box in the lower corner of the screen. Little things help - saves are done nearly instantly, with each one providing a clear caption and image to illustrate exactly where you were when you saved. Interacting with items is equally easy; the mouse-capture range is adequate for discerning small objects close to each other and you simply click on things to interact. This allows you to talk, flip switches, pick up items and so on - and to use an item in your inventory on another item by simply choosing the item from the box and then clicking on the desired object to interact with. It is incredibly intuitive and friendly - and allows you to focus on laughing!

"IN CASE OF FIRE: THIS DOOR WILL BE LOCKED AND CAMERAS WILL BE SWITCHED ON FOR IMPROMPTU REALITY SHOW"

Everyone's favorite Freelance Police are back for another grand adventure - this time Myra the talk show host has taken her entire audience hostage and is forcing them to accept expensive gifts! It's up to Sam & Max to find out why and set things right - violently, if possible! There are plenty of pot shots taken at our reality TV obsessed culture throughout this whole episode, from live cooking shows to talk shows to an American Idol send up. There are visits from old favorite characters from the previous episode and a few new ones as well. One disruptive element is that the voice actor for Sam has changed from the first episode, supposedly due to scheduling issues.

Episode 2 is full of even better executed jokes and setups, with loads of extra funny stuff to discover - but it is even shorter than the first. Regardless of the replayability, having a two to three hour game just feels abruptly short. It is like having a DVR record a favorite show and realizing that without the commercials the actual show portion was only about ten minutes long one week after being twenty minutes the week before. It doesn't matter how good it is - it feels short.

That shouldn't keep you from buying it though, because the plot Sam & Max Season 1, Episode 2: Situation: Comedy is truly wonderful and you feel like you are on a comedic thrill ride the entire time. The quality and quantity of jokes and overall writing is absolutely dead on for the whole episode. There are tons of one-liners, bad puns, obscure references and on and on it goes. It is just really great stuff and it comes nonstop. Everything else - the controls, presentation and stability - are all top rate once again, making this a great bit of entertainment that delivers something rarely seen in episodic gaming... a second episode!

Reviewed by Michael Anderson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).