In 2004, LucasArts announced the cancellation of all of its then-upcoming adventure game titles, including a planned sequel to the 1993 cult classic Sam and Max Hit the Road. The lead designers and writers on the cancelled Sam and Max game would then go on to form a new independent game studio called Telltale Games. In 2006, the long-awaited next adventure of Sam and Max, Freelance Police, finally released, in the form of Episode 1 of Sam and Max Save the World.

Don't let the doomsayers confuse you: this is more or less the same game that brought the Freelance Police back from a long and unpleasant dirt nap back in the mid-2000s, except given a massive visual upgrade. The puzzles and story remain completely unchanged, and just as fun as ever. The point and click interface is still fairly intuitive, although moving around had been made much easier by the introduction of keyboard controls.

Of course, as many of the negative reviews have pointed out, some details of the original game have been changed. The character of Bosco is now voiced by Ogie Banks, as a way of sidestepping the original game's casting of a white actor as a black character. In addition to this, a few of the original game's more off-color and/or poorly aged jokes have been cut. Bear in mind, however, that these changes are entirely superficial and do not affect the gameplay in any way.

This version of the game also has a more natural flow to the animation and camera movements. For as well-received as the original games were, many of the character animations and camera motions made for a rougher visual element which often detracted from the humor. This remaster, however, fully embraces Sam and Max's cartoony roots, and adds several creative camera movements, visual gags, and fun easter eggs for fans of the series.

EDIT: (Oh, and of course, the music is fantastic. How could I forget to mention the amazing soundtrack to this game? If you have a taste for upbeat jazz, you definitely will appreciate the incredible orchestrations of Jared Emerson-Johnson. )

If you have never played the original games, I highly suggest giving this remaster a go. It's an incredibly funny and ultimately rewarding experience that has aged like a fine wine. Or maybe like a fine cheese.