Only a Sam & Max game would start with a giant killer robot with lousy aim and an affinity for pop music vaporizing a goldfish. Yes, the comedy series starring the ever-violent duo, Sam & Max, makes a return for a second season. Its debut episode, Ice Station Santa, starts the holidays early and sends the two on a journey to the North Pole to save Christmas and all the unabashed consumerism that goes along with it.

Although the game is easy enough for anyone to jump right into, people unfamiliar with the Sam & Max series should first play Season One. Events from the previous season shape the setting for the current one, including how Max, a violently sadistic hyperkinetic rabbitty thing, became president of the United States. Incidentally, it also explains where the giant robot from the beginning of Ice Station Santa comes from.

Those who want to skip the exposition and dive right into Season 2 can take advantage of the newly installed tutorial, designed to assist players who have never played adventure games before. Loyal fans will appreciate the changes that Season 2 brings to the series, most notably a built-in hint system, where Max starts dropping clues whenever the player gets stuck. Gamers can set the hint system anywhere from sporadic to frequent, or turn it off altogether.