"The platformer genre has in many ways grown old and stale over the years. The formula all too often recognizable and even predictable. Drop a cute, cuddly teddy bear of a hero into a colorful landscape filled with gameplay-extending collectibles and then have that character set on a quest to save -- what else? -- a princess. To make matters worse, platformers specifically designed for younger players have sometimes been dumbed down, providing fewer clever puzzles and challenge in favor of more collectibles, a disappointing truth. But thankfully this is not the case with the THQ-published sequel Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams. The title, smartly developed by Avalanche, is carefully designed so that both younger and older players can enjoy it for different reasons. The kids growing up on other popular Nickelodeon tie-ins will naturally be drawn to the aforementioned cute main character and colorful landscapes while adults will appreciate the way the game goes out of its way to make fun of platformer clichés through well-scripted, often humorous dialogue, and that it doesn't skimp on challenge. Indeed, some of the environmental-based puzzles Tak 2 delivers are surprisingly engaging."