Games Learning from TV: The Sam & Max Story

Sam & Max: The Episodes

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Episode One: Culture Shock
What happens when washed-up child stars go berserk? Find out in Culture Shock, as Sam and Max take on the three Soda Poppers. One's super-fast, one's half-blind, and the third...well, the third's incontinent. Culture Shock may leave the floor damp, but the humor's plenty dry.

Episode Two: Situation: Comedy
Sam and Max confront the deadly world of daytime television in Situation: Comedy. Myra Stump, talk show host extraordinaire, has gone nuts and taken her audience hostage. It's down to you to navigate your way through a minefield of cooking shows, sitcoms and quiz shows to save the innocent from Stump's clutches. If you've ever wanted to star in a light entertainment show with a chicken for a straight man, here's your chance.

Episode Three: The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball
A mole at the Ted E. Bear Mafia-Free Playland and Casino has gone quiet. Sam and Max have to go undercover as mob members to infiltrate the organization and discover his fate. Hilarity ensues, and before you can blink Sam and Max are conducting hits, vandalizing stores, and...er...recovering meatball sandwiches.

Episode Four: Abe Lincoln Must Die!
Sam and Max jump with both feet into the murky puddle of political satire, and come out covered with nothing but laughs. Telltale's impressively deft and non-partisan script hits all the right notes, and speaking of which, the episode's marvelous song-and-dance number is one of the season's real high spots.

Episode Five: Reality 2.0
Standing out as the best all-round experience of the series, Reality 2.0 twists geek cliche after geek cliche into a satirical masterpiece. Even if you don't spot all the references, anyone who's enjoyed a video game from time to time will find plenty here to laugh at.

Episode Six: Bright Side of the Moon
Wrapping up the season, Episode Six sees Sam and Max taking on their Season One arch-nemesis Hugh Bliss in his cheerfully-decorated moon base. Every villain needs a secret base, right? Bright Side of the Moon features welcome reappearances by characters from every other episode, and a somewhat trickier set of puzzles than the rest.

How to get them

• Direct from Telltale. Check their web site for details, but they'll run you $8.95 per episode or 34.95 for all six. They're yours to keep, and they'll even mail you a CD for just the price of shipping.
• From Gametap. This subscription-based service gives you unfettered access to a portfolio of hundreds of games, including all six Sam & Max episodes. A Gametap subscription costs $0.99 for the first month, then $9.95 thereafter, although cheaper deals are available if you don't mind paying a few months in advance. Stop paying, though, and you lose access to all your games.