
Coming right out of Sam And Max: The Devil's Playhouse Episode 1, Episode 2, The Tomb of Shammun-Mak start off right where the Penal Zone ends off. Sam and Max find themselves in a basement with two skeletal figures looking nearly exactly like the bones from Sam and Max. Also in the basement they find video reels that will lead to the uncovering of what exactly happened. As in the previous Sam and Max adventure, you are in for a thrill ride till the end.
The way the story unfolds in this Sam and Max game is you are playing as your great grand-parents in one of their adventures. In the present Sam and Max are watching it on a video reel, however in the mean time you are playing as their ancestors, who sound and look just like our duo of heroes. The story, just as in The Penal Zone was told from a non-linear format. Meaning that our duo skips ahead in the story in order to learn plot points needed for earlier parts of the story. This itself is done through in game "Reels" that allow Sam and Max to learn just exactly how the skeletal figures came to be.
Like the last game, Sam still has mysterious Psychic powers, although this time it can be considered his ancestor had the powers. This go around however you have different powers such as a dummy that can make other people talk, a bean can that both Sam and Max can fit into, and projector power which allows you to switch reels. The powers don't come into play as much in this game as they did in the last game, however they are still very fun to play around with.
There were some very noticeable improvements over the previous game, such as the puzzles. I often found myself wondering what to do in the Penal Zone, where as in Sammun-Mak the puzzles were clearly noticeable each time I entered into a room. I never once got stuck in this game either, as the puzzles were much simpler to deduce. While some may find the toned down level of the puzzles a disappointment, I was quite happy with the changes, as near the very end of The Penal Zone I got stuck on trying to General Skunkapes badge from the restaurant owner.
I used a 360 control pad for the game, and had no issues what so ever. The button layout is exactly the same as it was in the previous game, and works just fine. I played through this title much quicker than The Penal Zone as I found it much more appealing than the last game, though the last game did have some cool mechanics. The User Interface is also the same as The Penal Zone, and I suspect it will stay the same through the 5 game series.
In the way of graphics, not much has changed really. I could definitely notice better shadows than the previous game, but other than that it was dead on for the Sam and Max series. It still feels like you are playing a virtual cartoon, rather than a video game and that is more than welcomed. I particularly like the way Telltale animates Sam and Max, and displays their different interactions between one another. The soundtrack too, was a good soundtrack for the game, some parts especially reminded me of old school "Mummy" movies.
Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse Episode 2 was a very good addition to the Sam and Max franchise. The game was marvelous to play with no real complaints for the type of game that it is. It also ends with a huge cliffhanger that will have you wishing it were June already so you could know just exactly is going to happen next. So if you have purchased the full game, be ready for some fun. If not all 5 episodes are available various places for one low price.


















