Well, we're almost at the end of Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures. So far, Wallace has unleashed gigantic bees on the poor, simple folk of West Wallaby Street and invited them over for a vacation getaway in his basement. In Episode 3: Muzzled, Wallace actually isn't responsible for the troubles of his neighbors, and, surprisingly, he isn't even really the hero. This time the perspective is changed around a bit, and Episode 3 ends up being one of the segments in the series so far.

In past episodes, it was almost a 50/50 split between Wallace and Gromit, with different puzzles taking advantage of the duo's different personalities. When something involved intelligence, the dog Gromit would take the stage, and when something involved a gadget or opposible thumbs, Wallace was ready. This time around, Gromit is essentially the star, and players control the silent hero throughout almost the entirety of the game. It's a welcome shift from the traditional narrative of the story, and leaves me eagerly anticipating a Wallace-focused episode.



In Episode 2 -The Last Resort, a massive storm washed into town, ruining everyone's vacation plans. It also, apparently, destroyed a local animal shelter. With promises to raise money to rebuild the shelter, a man named Monty Muzzle arrives in town, throwing a grand fair filled with games and prizes. As expected, things aren't what they seem, and it's up to Wallace to foil whatever Monty happens to be planning.

This, of course, comes in the form of puzzles, usually involving clicking objects on other objects. When it comes to this act, few do it better than Telltale, and the puzzles in Muzzled are about as good as the Grand Adventures series has seen. They're still not up to par with those found in Sam & Max, but it's an improvement over the last episode, and hopefully will continue growing in quality for the series finale.



Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures - Episode 3 Muzzled is a grand adventure, indeed. The humor is spot on, the new characters and locations are entertaining, and it's obvious that Telltale has really found the niche into which Wallace and Gromit's story fits. With only one episode left, they had better be prepared to take it even further - just because the bar has been set high doesn't mean it can't be raised.