It's like Modern Times all over again.

We thought the first Toy Bot Diaries was cute and imaginative, but it was hampered by some finicky control issues. The sequels are every bit as cute and even more imaginative... but they also sport some equally irritating control quirks.

The basic idea of each of the sequels is the same as the original; work your way through a series of levels using a combination of tilt controls and magnetic grapples. You might need to grapple a high ledge and tilt back and forth to get pendulum motion going, for example. Or latch onto a surface with your bot's magnetic boots and grapple objects below in order to complete simple puzzles. Of the two games, Toy Bot 2 focuses a bit more on straightforward platforming gameplay, while Toy Bot 3 has a slightly greater emphasis on puzzle-solving; shifting gravity makes Toy Bot 3 particularly intriguing.

Toy Bot would be Indiana Jones or Tarzan if he only had a heart. 

Both games are equally charming, with clean, cartoonish graphics and quirky sound and music. But both games also suffer from the original's greatest flaw: unreliable controls. While the magnetic boots are now easier to use, grappling can be surprisingly hit-or-miss. And unpredictable momentum can make swing-jumps unnecessarily frustrating.

Fortunately, the games compensate for the uneven controls with a liberal checkpoint system and unlimited lives, so the frustration is usually short-lived. On balance, the series ends up being solidly charming, surprisingly varied, and wholly entertaining.