Publisher: Viva Media
Developer: FAKT Software
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.0 GHz or better CPU, 128 MB DirectX 9-compatible graphics card with Pixel Shader 2 support, 512 MB RAM, 800 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

So you think you’re good at puzzle solving? That’s great, but when’s the last time you built a Rube Goldberg machine? Well, I’d bet most of the people reading this review already know what one is (including anyone who’s already played The Incredible Machine), but for those who don’t, a Rube Goldberg machine is a mechanical device that takes a simple task and makes it incredibly difficult by adding pulleys, rolling balls, dominoes, and all sorts of other things that are completely unnecessary for the task. And that’s basically what Crazy Machines 2 Complete is all about.

Crazy Machines 2 has been around for two or three years, but Viva Media has recently bundled it as part of a new collection, Crazy Machines 2 Complete. In addition to the original 10 tutorial levels and 150 campaign levels, the collection also includes the 50 levels from the recently-released Time Travel add-on, the 60 levels from the Back to the Shop expansion, and three bonus packs (two of which require PhysX) with 20 levels each, giving you a grand total of 320 levels to play for just $29.99. For an extra $10, you can also get the original Crazy Machines and Crazy Machines 1.5 and their add-on packs, giving you another 400 or so levels to play. On top of that, there’s a sandbox mode for aspiring inventors, and CM2 even lets you share your creations online.

The difficulty level of the puzzles starts off fairly simply, with levels that take maybe a minute or two to solve. But they get progressively more complex to the point where, without help from a walkthrough, you can spend upwards of half an hour on one level. However, after a particularly difficult section, you’re usually given one or two relatively simple ones, just to give you a break. A good example would be dropping a tennis ball on a switch, which turns on a lantern, which shines on a solar panel, which powers a motor, which turns a pulley that moves a conveyor belt. While that’s happening, a weight tied to a pivoting lever triggers a crossbow, which shoots a ball, which rolls down a ramp into another ball, which falls into a bucket being held up by a balloon. The weight pulls the balloon down into the flame of a blowtorch, which pops the balloon, which drops the bucket onto the conveyor belt, which delivers the bucket to its destination. And that’s just one of the moderately difficult puzzles. Fortunately, most of the pieces you need are already in place; you just need to figure out where the items in your inventory have to go.

What I like the most about this game is that you’re forced to use your gray matter; even though the machines themselves are impractical (they are, after all, Rube Goldberg machines), they work using real-world physics, so you might even learn something while putting them all together. The game is also appropriate for anyone of any age, with absolutely nothing that anyone could possibly find offensive. Younger children might have trouble with the more difficult levels, but that’s not a bad thing, because it gives you a chance to spend some quality time with your children as you help them solve the puzzles. Also, you’re getting a lot of content for your money with CM2, more than you get with some more expensive games (I have to point a finger at Rogue Warrior, which gives you about two hours of solo gameplay at full price, compared to the 40+ hours of enjoyment you get from Crazy Machines 2 Complete for the same price).

Now, I’ll admit that the graphics are dated; when you zoom in, the lack of anti-aliasing is obvious from the jagged edges. But I don’t really rate games based on their graphics. I’ve spent too much money on games that look great but have horrible gameplay, which I played once and never touched again, while older games with great gameplay (Master of Orion, to name one) rarely leave my hard drive. I really only have two major complaints. First of all, the positioning of some items on some puzzles is very picky; if you place an item so much as one or two pixels in the wrong direction, it misses the target. Those levels become an exercise in frustration for me; I had to move the domino a pixel to the left, start the machine, reset, move the domino another pixel to the left, start the machine, until I finally got it right. My other big complaint is that once you complete the main goals of a puzzle, you automatically move on to the next; the puzzle isn’t too keen on letting you play it again. Yes, you can play it again, but your score won’t change. Each level rates you by giving you a bronze, silver or gold cog, so if you accidentally complete the primary goal but miss a secondary goal, you’re stuck with whatever color cog you got the first time you played it.

Still, I can’t think of a single reason why you shouldn’t buy this game. You’re getting lots of content (with more than 720 levels for $39.99, you won’t breeze through this one in just a few hours). It’s also a game that makes you think, you might actually learn something while you’re playing, and it’s appropriate for any age. What’s not to like?

Our Score:
Our Recommendation: