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The latest instalment of the episodic sam and max adventure games produced by telltale, and the first in the new series, ice station santa has been highly anticipated through the summer season, and now its here, its definitely been worth the wait. Ice station santa follows sam & max's journey to the north pole after being attacked by a giant robot allegedly sent from santa. The duo find the north poll, only to relise that santa is being controlled by a shambling corporate presence. Can sam & max save Christmas?

The game's story is strong and filled with witty humour.

All of the notable characters from the last season appear in this game, plus the addition of a few new ones. The gameplay style is the familiar point and click style that fans of these games will be used to by now, and the game offers some quite out of the ordinary situations that bring comedy to the game. The two major concerns that most reviewers had about last season was that the games were too short and simple. I am glad to report that telltale have addressed this issue, and while the game isn't gut bustingly hard (think grim fandango), it is now longer and more challenging. If however you find the game too challenging, you can adjust an option that will cause your partner to give you varying levels of hints.

Graphics and sound have never been a major issue with these games, and while some of the set pieces in this game are created more brilliantly than others, every scene will have something to make you laugh or keep you interested. The sound quality is fine, no echoey dialogue as was noticed in one of last season's episodes. All of the voice acting fits the characters well.

To conclude, this game is easily one of my favorite sam and max games so far, and kicks off the new season brilliantly. Evidence is everywhere that telltale have tried to make the best game possible, and it certainly shines out of the game. The game's story is strong and filled with witty humor, and the new characters are just as scatty and hair brained as the rest of the cast. If you loved last season's games, you will love this just as much if not more, I know I certainly did.