While they are all working towards the same goal, the three characters each have their own unique approach. Sly is a master of stealth and his missions reflect this. He’ll need to sneak into and out of well-guarded locations, pick the pockets of bad guys for key items, and steal back the stolen Clockwerk parts. Murray takes a more direct approach. It’s harder to keep out of sight when you’re a big pink hippo, so he is the best fighter of the three. Murray can also lift and toss heavy objects, so when there’s smashing involved, call Murray. Being the brains of the outfit, Bentley prefers to go into a mission armed with gadgets to keep him out of harm’s way. His primary weapon is a crossbow that fires sleep darts, which he follows up with little time bombs to finish off the baddies.

Bentley lends Sly a hand.

New in Sly 2 is the ability to upgrade the character’s attacks. You can visit the gang’s safehouse after a mission and buy new attacks and gadgets with the coin and stolen items you collected when out on a mission. The upgrades aren’t really necessary to finish the game, but they do add an extra element of fun by increasing the variety of attacks available.

Another change in the game is the layout of the worlds. Sly 2 features three major locations: Paris, India, and the Canadian North. Each location is run by a Klaww Gang member and home to a Clockwerk part. A series of missions in each location eventually leads to a confrontation with the Klaww Gang boss of the area and recovery of the part. You can have several missions active at once, and can return to the safehouse to switch to a new character if needed to take on one of the active missions. Each area is crawling with guards, and you’ll need to be careful just getting to the next mission location.

There are a few secrets and items to search for in each of the areas, but there’s not enough to keep you occupied once you complete the missions. Also, you can replay completed missions again later, but once through the game is probably enough. When taken with the forgiving gameplay, the result is that the game is a bit on the short side and fails to provide much replay value. However, this is not a knock against the game as the first time through is so enjoyable in its own right. Suffice it to say that if you’re interested enough in the game to be reading this review, then you’ll be quite happy with it.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 92%. Clever, enjoyable, and just plain beautiful, Sly 2 is an enjoyable interactive cartoon for gamers of all ages.

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