Dialogue is dealt with in the same way as the previous game, and it's a great way to converse with other characters. When you speak with a group of people, the game will display a tabbed dialogue box with icons of each character. This way you can switch between different people's conversations without having to close out and select each new one in turn. I've praised it before, and I'm going to praise it again. This is a wonderful feature that every adventure game developer should be kicking themselves over for not being the first to implement in a game.

The built-in hint system is back as well, taunting my walkthrough-addicted self with its promises of just one more clue. Any time you get stuck, all you have to do is click an on-screen icon and the game will point you in the direction you need to go. And if that's not enough, click again and you're given a more direct clue. And so on and so on until you have to force yourself to pull away before you click that one last time that provides a step by step answer to solving the current puzzle completely.

It's a good thing the hint system is so robust, because you will most likely need it by the end. While the first game was seen by many to be too easy and too short, there shouldn't be any of those complaints this time around. Even with a few hints here and there, I still clocked in five and a half hours on the game before the credits rolled, and Telltale has definitely paid attention to those who claimed that the first chapter was a no-brainer.

While Out from Boneville's puzzles were well done and fit the story, the inclusion of some non-skippable action sequences really hampered the game for me. Luckily, this is not an issue this time around. Puzzles are a mixture of different types, from dialogue puzzles to fetch quests to carnival games, and almost all are implemented into the story so logically that you don't have to worry about the usual "need three jeweled crowns to build a sundial to solve a puzzle to open a basement door" style of puzzles that is prevalent in many adventure games. In fact, I can only think of one puzzle in the whole game that struck me as out of place, and it was over so quickly that I barely registered it.

Another nice facet is that each of the three cousins are given their own section of the game that needs to be puzzled through, from Fone trying to impress his girl, to Phoney trying to talk people into betting on the mystery cow, to Smiley trying to create a cow costume so they can enter the race. And on top of needing to solve their own respective tasks, you'll need to switch amongst them to help each other out. This is a little reminiscent of the classic Day of the Tentacle, and was a refreshing way to play through a game.

The only issue I had with gameplay was the load times when moving from screen to screen. In some cases I clocked five seconds waiting for a new screen to load or to switch between characters. This would not be as big an issue if there were a load screen — no matter how brief — when the game needed to load a new scene. But instead of that, the game just appears to lock up for several seconds until the new scene comes up. This is not a big issue in the beginning of the game, but later on when our characters are running back and forth to solve puzzles, it becomes a major hassle.

As they did with Out of Boneville, Telltale is distributing the game online through their Telltale Now service. The game is available as a 100 megabyte download, which comes complete with a free trial period and an option to purchase at the end of that time, which provides a registration code to unlock the rest of the game. This time around, there is also a packaged version being offered from the outset for those that would like something a little more tangible. No matter which version you choose, you'll be paying less than the first game originally cost, as Telltale wisely opted to reduce the price of each episode. With longer game time and a lower price tag, the developers have already addressed the two strongest criticisms of the introductory episode, giving The Great Cow Race a much better value.

This is a series that is really picking up steam, and Telltale seems intent on listening to players and trying to make each installment better. The inclusion of the cast page was a simple thing that adds a lot to the game, and unlike the abrupt ending of its predecessor, the conclusion of this game makes for a more satisfying standalone experience as well as being part of a greater series. This should do wonders for getting people to appreciate their decision to release the games as episodic content instead of as one large, scaled-back game. The source material is wonderful, the puzzles are challenging but not overwhelming due to the hint system, and the graphics are a sight to behold. And while I would still like to see some small improvements (like the ability to skip cutscenes) in addition to addressing the character animation and loading issues, The Great Cow Race is definitely a game I can recommend to everyone.