Ben & Dan are the creators and protagonists of 2 much-loved cult point and click adventures, 'Ben There Dan That' and 'Time Gentlemen Please!'. These games were noted for their wacky disregard for logic, a library's worth of unique humourous and, yes, very British dialogue, with a dollop of absurdism to boot. The Lair of the Clockwork God, a standalone game in its own right, retains all of these things albeit with a decade's worth of grump and harumph added to the mix. The creativity of some of the solutions goes well past a knowing wink and annihilates the fourth wall entirely - you'll feel the devs enjoyed making that as much as you did solving it. However the real departure from Clockwork God's predecessors is the unique platforming aspect. Controlling Dan you'll have the ability to run, jump, DOUBLE jump and even shoot. This well-realised ambition adds the odd change of pace to a genre that can sometimes feel too pedestrian and too happy to plod along from one puzzle to the next. The technical scope of this sequel really is wonderful too - I could barely believe my eyes when *slight spoiler alert* one puzzle is solved by playing through what is essentially a full game in its own right. You could be forgiven for thinking this game was made by a whole studio. Very occasionally the platforming did tip over into frustrating for me. Whether this was because I was using the keyboard instead of a controller I don't know but luckily our eponymous devs have added the option of a difficulty slider that can be used at any time for the Dan's that just want to get on with the puzzles. All in all Clockwork God is a excellent game and a really interesting unique genre mashup that I highly recommend. But hardcore platformers be wary - Super Meat Boy this is not. It's a point and click adventure with a delicious healthy side serving of platforming action but no one ever bought a main to eat the side dish.
