Episode 3 features the same basic gameplay found in the other games in the series. Click on a spot on the ground to move Strong Bad (double click to make him run for a few steps). Click on objects to either pick them up or have them described, featuring Strong Bad’s typically biting satirical tongue. Clicking on other characters opens a dialogue tree above their heads, giving you a choice of topics to discuss with them; some of these conversations contain vital information, so be sure to follow each one to the end.

While you attempt to coerce Strong Bad’s neighbors into entering the Battle of the Bands, you discover a number of seemingly innocuous items. Some of them are useless props, while others are objects that must be collected to successfully solve the game’s numerous puzzles. These items are placed in an inventory that can be accessed using an interface button placed at the top left of the screen. To use an item, simply click on it, then click on the character or object on which you wish to use it. Choosing the correct combination of object and target moves you closer to solving the current puzzle, while choosing poorly triggers more humorous but scathing Strong Bad comments.

Strong Bad’s world is pretty much unchanged in this new episode, but some of the oddest of local destinations have an important impact on the story, including the abandoned car (this time with an unexplained gasoline spill surrounding it) and Strong Badia’s brick wall, which has become the target of unseen graffiti artists. The seemingly anomalous photo booth, where you can dress up Strong Bad in various costumes (some parts of which you find as you explore the neighborhood) and take pictures of him, also returns. These images are saved to your hard drive and can be shared with your friends or made into desktop wallpaper, which all of the cool kids should be doing.

Episode 2, Strong Badia the Free, escaped the legendary sophomore jinx and surpassed its predecessor in many areas, including story depth and quality of writing. Does Baddest of the Bands continue to build on the successes of the previous stories, or does it take that devastating backward step that leads to late-night infomercials, best-of compilations and county fair appearances? On to the numbers…