Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (aka Pandora's Box)

After playing Curious Village I was hooked on Professor Layton and Luke. I have just started playing the Diabolical Box and couldnt put it down for 5 hours solid. There appears to be more puzzles and helpful little hands that pop up if you try to move away from a particular scene without finding all the puzzles in it. Very cool! Movements and controls are very much the same as in Curious Village and the hint coins found in the same way. The story is already captivating with the return of some of the same characters as in Curious Village. The voice/sound over is my favourite being clear English accents and common english phrases. The train is wonderful and is packed with very interesting characters and already several little mysteries to solve as well as the larger one within the main story line. The effects are fabulous and I cant wait to continue playing. Truly addictive. It is wonderful to have a game which presents so many layers: puzzles, mysteries, story lines, effects and features as well as having bonus mini games and is so easy to follow. Even with a lengthy break the ‘trunk’ allows you to catch up to where you left off reminding you of imortant finds, solved mysteries, mysteries yet to solve and a way forward. Its brilliant. Everyone should play this game. It encompasses many features and is a pure delight to play. I am living at the moment to finish work and get home to uncover more delights that this game has to offer! Buy it, play it, you wont be disappointed.

The story begins with Professor Layton and Luke boarding the luxurious Molentary Express. Professor Layton had received a letter earlier from his mentor, which talked about a mysterious box that kills all those who open it. From what we played of the demo, it's very much like the previous game in which you explore the locations that you're in and find puzzles to solve. You'll interact with other characters and learn more about this diabolical box, referred to as the Elysian box. Since the professor is all about solving mysteries, their journey will no doubt include a variety of clever puzzles to tackle.

As in the first game, you'll primarily use the stylus to move from one still location to another, poking around to find hint coins and hidden puzzles. Characters you'll encounter will also give you some brain teasers to solve before they give you the information you want. The Diabolical Box will have more than 150 new logic puzzles, brain teasers, and riddles. Once you've solved them all, additional puzzles will be released each week for a limited time.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is set to be released on August 24.

This is a great puzzle/story game. Gameplay is improved from the first Professor Layton game, with a memo screen to draw on to help you solve the more difficult puzzles. The story is fun and I little side-challenges are a bit of a laugh – overweight hamster anyone?

Really fun game. Lots of different puzzles that really get your brain going.