For the sake of brevity and out of the desire not to repeat myself yet again, I can quickly say that, graphically and in terms of sound effects/music/voiceovers, this game is identical to the previous three episodes.

The beginning of the game marked the first change that I observed, taking into consideration that I used the review code given to me by Telltale Games, and that my version or previous versions could have been slightly different than the retail content.  The change was small, but it involved showing a kind of funny, non-interactive scene, followed by the opening and credits. This was a simple and small thing, but it did lend a certain episodic feel that the previous games had missed.

I knew coming into this game that prior to the release of this episode all of the problems/complaints people had for Sam and Max were not actually addressed until this episode, which explains why the past three games had many problems in common.  This episode, part 4 of six, would be the first one to address many of the criticisms leveled at the series.

In the past three episodes, we saw a variety of enemies, from the crazy self-help guru, to the Oprah-like talk show host, to the toy Mafia.  We saw a variety of villains, all of whom appeared to be using some form of hypnosis in their evil (well, evil-“ish”) plans.  While we have quickly become aware of some type of major plot in action, we have yet to discover who the major players are.  At the end of the last episode, we were treated to a cinematic of a Secret Service Agent discussing the events that had taken place.  This would be the backdrop for Episode 4, as Sam and Max are ordered to go to the White House to investigate why the Secret Service is acting so strangely, and why the President of the United States is acting in such a bizarre manner (something one may consider as art imitating life).

Much of the structure for the previous game is in place.  You see yet another new identity for Bosco, a new career for Sybil, and of course the necessity to find or solve a number of puzzles (again in threes) to proceed through the episode.  As in the previous episodes, these are mostly point-and click-puzzles, inventory management, and dialogue choice puzzles, with no penalties for wrong guesses.  There is yet another driving mini-game, which is still not exactly a departure from the previously released episodes.

So, while the structure of the game is largely unchanged, I do have to admit that this episode appeared more focused, better paced, and almost felt like it had a bit more of a challenge/content level than the previous episodes.  The writing for this episode was a lot more focused and ultimately far funnier than before.  Abe Lincoln May Die seemed more in line with what I expected from this series, and Sam and Max just felt like it was starting to come together as a series.

With four episodes released and two more to follow, I can only hope that the final two episodes can capture the same amount of fun, challenge, and ultimately humor as this one.  While I again caution those who are not necessarily fans of the adventure genre, I do think this episode has far more mainstream appeal for gamers and recommend Sam and Max Episode 4 for everybody.  After a rocky start, I feel Sam and Max is back on track and look forward to the final two episodes.

Pros

• Better written/more focused storyline.  

• Puzzles provide more challenge.

• Solid voice acting and dialogue. 

Cons

• The puzzle structure is still identical to the previous 3 episodes.

• No replay value.