honestgamer's Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box review

I enjoyed this review but especially the observation about scratch paper in a puzzle game. I've spent so much time and so many pieces of paper on the final level of action puzzlers that the stylus seems so obvious when I look at it & it does allow for more thoughtful puzzles without forcing someone to overload their brain. It's stuff like this that makes me that much more interested in getting a Wii or DS, noting that the peripherals save time for playing the game instead of forcing you to learn one more control.

From what I've seen of the Layton puzzles through FAQs--and from the promotional puzzles on public transportation ads--they seem like the old Interplanetary Spy gamebooks I liked so much, but there's potential for much more complex challenges--as you can make lots of wrong choices/approaches--and if they are not as horrendously difficult as I sometimes like my puzzles to be, the reward is more than just "You win! Next level!"

Thanks for the feedback! I have a feeling that this game and series would really appeal to you, Andrew. I still need to go back and play the first one, but I know that the second one is full of devious puzzles. It has enough content to be a great value if you're the sort that's willing to pay for your games. My wife saw me enjoying it and tried playing, but she didn't get far into it at all before giving up. I don't think the game actually skews as casual as the polished presentation and commercials would have some believe. That was okay with me, though!