The last episode of Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures wasn't really all that grand. It had its moments, but many of the game's puzzles weren't actually all that interesting, and technical issues took away from the experience. With a bit more experience using their new, shiny, claymation engine, Telltale has released Episode 2 The Last Resort, which hopes to be a return to form for the developer.

Story-wise, the game feels similar to a typical Wallace & Gromit film. After a rainstorm prevents the duo from enjoying their well-deserved vacation, Wallace decides to take advantage of his basement's flooding by turning the cellar into a resort. His efforts are so successful that he decides to turn his home into West Wallaby Street Water World, and invites all of the people of West Wallaby Street to enjoy. This obviously doesn't go as planned, and problems plague the endeavor, leaving it up to the entrepreneur and his dog to clean up the various messes.



This episode is much more polished than the first one, and features a few changes. The story is seperated into chapters, which, while cosmetic, still helps the game's presentation, and makes it feel more cinematic. The puzzles are also a bit better than they were in the last game, and are never overly frustrating. While one or two might fall a bit flat, they're usually clever, and at least one step above the last episode's. This time around, as far as I could tell, the game doesn't have any massive glitches or errors, and it feels as though the month in between Episodes 1 and 2 was spent refining the mechanics and finding a niche for Wallace & Gromit.

As was the case with the Strong Bad series, Telltale can take some time to find out how to make an IP work within their format. While The Last Resort isn't really there yet, it's a step in the right direction for Telltale, and a giant leap for the Grand Adventures series. It's still very, very charming, and if you're not smiling while playing there's something wrong with you. Hopefully the upcoming episodes will continue to improve at a steady pace, because there's much more life to live in West Wallaby Street.