Touch Detective 2 1/2

Mackenzie, the quirky little star of Touch Detective is back to solve more cases, only this time she's a full-fledged member of the Great Detective Society.

This curiously named sequel is basically the same game as the first--Mackenzie still lives in her house with her butler, Cromwell, and Funghi, the sidekick of who-knows-what species. The spaced-out Penelope shows up with a problem and Chloe isn't far behind, ready to stick her Super Sleuthing nose into everyone's business.

Quirky Doesn't Begin to Describe It

Initially, the game looks and plays the same as the original as you control everything using the stylus and the touch screen--no buttons required. So, is 2 1/2 just more of what fans of the original Touch Detective have come to expect? Real detectives will notice the small changes first (like the "special sauce" on Funghi's food), but there are plenty of big ones as well.

The biggest improvement over the first game is the way the environment has been expanded. The core areas--your office, the shopping center, the condos--are all still there but they all have some differences, like the new antique shop downtown. I also dug the new level settings, such as the archeological dig site and the haunted mansion--the game even has one level set on a train, which is about as classic as you can get.

You'll also take on some zany cases whose setups are even stranger than those in the first game, with even more crazy characters appearing. What do noodles have to do with dimensional faults? Why do Seabottom Dwellers live in the mountains? And who is The Cornstalker?

Aside from that, Touch Detective 2 1/2 is just more of the same, so your enjoyment will depend on what you thought of the first. If you liked the quirky art style, strange mysteries and wacky music, then you should definitely pick this one up. If the first title didn't thrill you, then pass it on by. I for one enjoyed solving cases with Mackenzie again, especially considering the game's low price.

PROS: Same wacky humor and gameplay of the original.
CONS: It probably won't change your mind if you didn't like the first one.

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