Hit the road, Jack!
Sam & Max starred in a couple of much-loved graphic adventures from the glory days of the genre, and which stand alongside as Monkey Island and Discworld as fine examples of this sort of thing. The characters have been successfully brought back for modern audiences in a series of new adventures and reality 2.0 forms the fifth episode of the first season. As such, it's not really worth playing if you haven't completed the other episodes, but if you have, it's kind of a no-brainer. The story obviously continues from where the previous episode left off, finding Sybil stuck in the internet, something which concentrates the gameplay here. Our heroes must find a way to access Reality 2.0, and discover a weird alternate world where their actions affect the real universe in unpredictable ways. The gameplay is traditional point-and-click adventure stuff, where you wander around, talking with the numerous characters and solving inventory-based puzzles, and there's little in the way of surprise in terms of gameplay. However, although the game doesn't do much with the genre, in terms of story, it's an absolute cracker, living up to the high standards of its predecessors. The narrative is clever and witty, with a wonderful script that is packed with genuinely funny moments and memorable characters. The game also looks quite swish, with high production values that help to boost the appeal even further. There's little to complain about really, but to get the most out of the series, do yourself a favor and pick up the entire run of Season 1.
