Yippee! Sam & Max are back, and I’m happy to say that the crime-busting duo are better than ever. This time around, they’re coming at you with episodic gaming, for a total release of six episodes. Sam & Max: The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball is the third episode. I haven’t personally played the previous two episodes, but according to descriptions of the first two, this episode is much shorter and lighter in terms of length and content, which is a shame as it is apparently also the funniest of the installments so far. Well, I can’t speak for the first two episodes, but Episode 3 is short and doesn’t sport a whole lot of puzzles; however, it is also the best adventure game I’ve played in years. It definitely isn’t lack of interest that has prevented me from playing the first two episodes, but lack of time (full-time student and mom) and lack of money (recovering from Christmas bills!)

Sam & Max Hit the Road was one of the first computer games I played after our family bought our first computer.  King’s Quest 6, Quest for Glory 4, The Day of the Tentacle, Laura Bow, Hand of Fate and Sam & Max Hit the Road were the first games we bought for the computer, and I still think they’re among the best games ever made. And, as I never get rid of favorite books or games, I still have these games, complete with original boxes!

Sam & Max’s claim to fame lay entirely in the quality of the game, which featured a winning mix of strange and quirky humor pointed at popular icons, mixed with lots of puzzles to solve. Sam & Max are freelance police, who cruise around in a 60’s DeSoto painted like a cop car. In Hit the Road, they literally hit the road in the DeSoto to solve a mystery involving a Bigfoot, visiting every tacky tourist spot in America along the way. This game sent up places like Mt. Rushmore, Stuckey’s and various national parks with some truly riotous humor.

In Sam & Max: The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball, the story is centered on a seemingly innocuous band of bears who run a casino called Ted E. Bear’s Mafia Free Casino. The employees of the casino all sport really strange fake bear heads, and the atmosphere of the place is determinedly family-friendly, complete with arcade games and singing bears. Every time a patron enters the joint, the greeter greets them with a quip about the place, as in “Yeah, the Mafia is free,” or words to that affect, anyway. The singing bears are an absolute hoot with their silly parody, and will sing a new verse each time they’re clicked. They will also sing the entire song during the closing credits.

Other characters in this chapter include Sybil, who has changed careers yet again, and Bosco, who is now French instead of British.

This game is played as a third-person adventure with inventory-based puzzles and dialogue choices with computer characters. There are tons of clickable items for the player’s enjoyment, but unfortunately they are mostly just for reading, and don’t have anything to do with the gameplay itself. The conversations are amusing, and often offer some truly hysterical moments, as in Bosco’s explanation of why he’s now French. Bosco is easily the funniest character in this chapter, and I about fell out of my chair listening to his comments every time I shot up the drinks cooler in his store with Sam’s big gun.

Comedy abounds, and much of the humor is pointed at popular icons such as the health obsession of the last few years, the trend of “family-oriented” entertainment in Las Vegas and the huge toy merchandising culture of today. Of course, Max is still his offbeat and kinky self, and has a comment for anything and everything. The episodes are self-contained and can be played separately, but there is also an underlying story that ties the episodes together.

It’s been 13 years since Hit the Road, and graphics have come a long way. The animation and general artwork is everything anyone could wish for in this type of cartoon adventure, and really suits the tone of the game. It reminds me somewhat of the cartoony style of the game Toonstruck from several years ago, that starred Christopher Lloyd as a live actor in a cartoon setting. The music is absolutely wonderful, and is a take-off of old cop shows.

Like I stated earlier, this is easily the best adventure game I’ve played in a long time, based solely on the fun I had, but there are still several issues that detract from the game when considered as separate features. One big problem is the shortness of the game; I finished it in 2 hours, and no one has ever accused me of having a quick mind. Two, the puzzles are few and entirely too easy. Frustrating puzzles can suck the fun out of these types of games, but puzzles that are too easy to solve can also detract from the general enjoyment. I didn’t pay for the game so it didn’t bother me, but others may question paying almost $10 for a couple of hours gametime.

And finally, the episodic nature could be a detraction as players have to wait a month between installments.  However, having episodes available for download initially may be a plus for some people. The episodes are available for purchase for $8.95 per, but the entire series can be purchased for $34.95, which includes all six episodes as they become available for download, and also the entire collection on CD after the last episode is released, for just the added price of shipping.

Based solely on my experience with Episode 3, I don’t think I can recommend plunking down $10 for a single episode, but $35 for the entire game is a great deal, if the future episodes are as good as the previous ones.

Gameplay: 7.5
This game was a hoot to play, but alas, was way too short and there’s a whole month before the next episode. And, it was too easy. However, the overall game design, the dialogue, the voice acting, the humor - everything else was just right.

Graphics: 8.0
It looks great! Sam & Max look the same even with update looks.

Sound: 8.0
The music was also exactly right, and really added to the enjoyment of the game.

Difficulty: Easy
Fairly easy to play.

Concept: 7.0
This is an adventure just like any other adventure, but the presentation is exceptional.

Overall: 7.5
I wish I could give a higher rating, but this particular episode is just too short and easy. Apparently the first two were longer, hopefully the next ones will feature more content.