When we last left off with Puzzle Agent star Nelson Tethers, he'd successfully reopened the eraser factory in the mysterious Scoggins, Minnesota, but had many unanswered questions. What happened to the missing foreman? What's going on with the creepy gnomes that Nelson kept seeing? And who is that astronaut who plagues his dreams? Puzzle Agent 2 gets closer to answering these questions, but creates a host of new ones in the process. No one ever said being a puzzle agent was going to be easy.

The highlight of Puzzle Agent 2 is its strange tale and quaintly brooding atmosphere. Feeling like a mix of Professor Layton and the X-Files, there's a curious juxtaposition between Nelson's plucky personality with the dreary and bleak setting. His earnest down-to-earth demeanor is instantly endearing and Scoggins remains a fascinating, albeit unsettling locale.

The chilly environments are so evocative that I'm constantly distracted by Nelson not wearing gloves.

This is in no small part due to Graham Annable's scratchy art style. Cool gray skies and chalky faces complement this demented descent into the unknown. A brilliant soundtrack ties the whole thing together with some melodic tunes accompanying the occasionally beautiful moments of magic realism.

When it comes to the titular puzzles, Puzzle Agent 2 is commendable, but a slight step back from its predecessor. Most brain-teasers are well thought out and entirely sensible calling upon various mental skills such as spacial reasoning, math, and logic, though certain puzzle types are repeated too often and there are a few that require obscure knowledge outside of the game. One in particular all but demands the internet (or at least a calculator) to solve.

When sending your kids to camp, please consider The Wallows.

Elsewhere, there are some technical flaws that dampen Puzzle Agent 2's impact. Playing on a fourth-generation iPod touch, there were a few instances where the game would freeze or chug. In one case the game glitched and a character who was supposed to be there wasn't, though leaving and coming back seemed to fix the issue. Perhaps most frustrating is that sometimes the controls aren't responsive. One puzzle involving sliding planets had such sluggish controls that it was nearly unplayable.

Puzzle Agent 2 doesn't have quite the impact of the original with its repeated assets and less refined puzzles. Though it makes up for this with its surreal atmosphere, quirky characters, and convoluted mystery that are equal parts intriguing, humorous, and horrifying.

The bottom line. Puzzle Agent 2 is a slight step down from its predecessor with a few rubbish puzzles and technical issues, but its twisted tale is as peculiar, funny, and eerie as one could hope for.