Appletell reviews Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, ep. 4 for Mac OS X

Genre: Adventure
Format: Download and Special Edition Collectors DVD (available after all episodes are released)
Developer: Telltale Games
Mac Publisher: Telltale Games
System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.5 or newer, Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Not recommended for Macs with integrated graphics.
Review Computer: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Aluminum MacBook, 2GB DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Network Feature: No
Processor Compatibility: Intel Core Duo
Price: $34.95 (for all five episodes)
ESRB Rating: E10
Availability: Out now

Beyond the Alley of the Dolls—the fourth installment of the Devil’s Playhouse—is, by far, the strangest of the series. When you consider that so far we have dealt with magic powers, super villains and aliens, that is saying quite a bit. If you don’t believe me, then just consider the image of Sam and Max are being chased down by hoards of cloned Sams in nothing but their skivvies. Hundreds, or perhaps thousands of them swarming the city streets and causing a sea of Sam styled chaos.

I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you their ultimate goal and origins. That would take half of the fun out of the game. But consider this notion; the clones are not just flavor, and they are not just enemies, but are part of the puzzles you play in this game. You will be finding all sorts of ways to avoid, trick and distract them since with thousands of them roaming lose, they can still spot the original at a Manhattan mile away. This makes for a devil of a time when you need to talk to someone who is in the proximity of the fake Sam clones.

On the bright side, the puzzles in this installment are some of the most challenging and obtuse thus far. You will really have to think about it to beat the bad guys. At some points you will wish you had the time-forwarding hint ability from chapter two.

The graphics and sound are exactly what you would expect from Sam & Max. In-game physics are also similar to previous installments of the series.

On the whole this zany installment is a great big ball of fun. Totally worth the cash!

Appletell Rating:

Buy Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls

• Back to Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, ep. 3: They Stole Max’s Brain.