Puzzle Quest 2

Infinte Interactive are a clever bunch. They have managed with the rather difficult task of making their puzzle games attractive to a larger audience. By adding a story, some role playing elements and fantasy (or sci-fi) settings. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, was spectacular and cut out a nice niche for itself, and there was no major flaws with Galactrix, even if it made us wonder if the novelty was wearing off.

Because that's how I felt as I sat down with Puzzle Quest 2. It may seem as if Infinite Interactive have taken the "fit three pieces together" concept of Zoo Keeper as far as they can. We have seen it in Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, and in Puzzle Kingdoms. What could they possibly add to provide us with something we weren't expecting? Well, Infinite Interactive prove to us that they haven't run out of ideas. With a few minor little additions, they have managed to create a game we recognise, but still offers a few new alternatives.

What comes across as the most exciting addition is the armour you can dress your character in. Sure, there was equipment in Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords too, but they only granted passive bonuses. In Puzzle Quest 2 what you wear makes all the difference. To wear an armour that provides a nice starting bonus or an epic weapon with a high chance of critical hits are essential. It is especially important for the close ranged fighters (barbarian, assassin) to have a good weapon that can provide a quick kill.

In Puzzle Quest 2 Infinite Interactive have revamped the world in which your character resides. As opposed to the predecessor Puzzle Quest 2 has no world map, instead your adventures take place in the village and areas close by. You walk from screen to screen, with the help of a mini map, instead of travelling between kingdoms in an overworld as in Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Something some did not appreciate with Puzzle Quest was the random encounters you would run into while exploring, and this has been eliminated from Puzzle Quest 2. You can now see the enemies you can tangle with before the battle starts, and thus tailor you tactics to the opposition.

Puzzles are what Puzzle Quest 2 is all about. Most of the puzzling takes place as you take on an enemy, but you are also going to have to solve puzzles in order to open locked doors, loot enemies or chests, or explore a suspicious area of the map. Every mini game puzzle is unique and that adds to the entertainment value. They still involve the same basic principle of getting threes together, but with some additions. To break open doors you are going to have to produce door icons through combinations. In order to loot you have to create riches by puzzling, and if you manage a cascade combo you will receive epic chests that contain tremendous equipment.

Something that really annoyed me about Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was the insane amount of luck your enemies always seemed to possess. They could dish out so much punishment in one round that some enemies appeared insurmountable. In Puzzle Quest 2 the luck factor isn't as evident. It is very seldom that they put together combos to extinct all life, which in turns makes Puzzle Quest 2 appear less random and more balanced.

Puzzle Quest 2 appears on numerous different platforms, and the game is comparable on every format. The only real difference is that the portable versions have a somewhat different inventory system to make it more accessible. Something that strikes me as almost comical are the annoyances such as lag at combinations to are apparent both of the two platforms I've played the game on. The game also crawls to a halt as you finish a mission, and as this is also something that plagues both versions. Perhaps Infinte Interactive rushed things a little.

Apart from the story mode, Puzzle Quest 2 offers a range of other modes to keep us occupied. You can hone your skills in the various mini games, are challenge another human player. If you play locally against a friend Puzzle Quest 2 is a bit of a disappointment as you can only play the tournament mode, where no heroes are playable. I also found it hard to find other players to challenge on Xbox Live as there doesn't seem to be many who go online with the game.

If you can live with the re-accuring lag problems in Puzzle Quest 2, and the repetitive music, this is money well spent for those with a craving for puzzles. Sure, Puzzle Quest 2 sports simple graphics, but on the other hand the game is extremely long, if you have your heart set on completing all tasks. Given their respective prices, the Xbox Live Arcade version is a better buy, but to be honest Puzzle Quest 2 is equally great at home or on the go.