Puzzle Agent
Rating: NR - Not Rated

A brand new offering from Telltale Games. It is nteresting how different all their series are from each other, while keeping the quirky sense of humor running through all of them.

Nelson Thethers, from FBI's Department of Puzzle Research, finally gets a case "in the field". The field being Scroggins, Minnesota. The mission - to find out what has stopped the indispensable supply of erasers destined for the White House.

The tone is set when Bjorn answers Nelson's request for directions to the hotel. After a circuitous trail, he finds himself returning to the same spot. Yes, he was standing in front of the hotel. While picking up discarded gum wads to fill the inspectors gum craving (no shipment of gum is due in Scroggins for months), he sets off to engage the local inhabitants to solve the mystery, which begins to feel a bit like Fargo with lutefisk.

The purpose of the story is to link the various puzzles together. Instruction as to where to go next are boldly given on the screen, so you can quickly get onto the next puzzle. Puzzles, about 30, range from word games, jigsaw puzzles, a few nine squares, pipe and wire connects, to plenty of logistical ones of the sort, "He said", "She said". As far as I could tell, puzzles do not have to be done in any particular sequence and in some circumstances, you are unable to finish a puzzle because someone has stolen a piece. Hints are available from the number of gum wads you have collected.

Graham Annable of the Grakle graphic novels is the artist. The artwork resembles colored-in pencil drawings, similar to newspaper comics. The sound effects counter the humor with an ominousness that reminds you that this is a mystery. The game is available for $9.95 from Telltale Games, http://www.telltalegames.com/.

Good start! Can they keep enough puzzles coming to keep Agent Thethers engaged?

Fun Factor: Non-stop puzzles
Female Factor: Well, there is a waitress
Player Friendly: No problems downloaading.

Reviewed by: Editor - Jul/10