Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

The Good
I can think of two things that I like about this game.

1. It's short. I finished the game in about 5 days, playing for between one and two hours each day.

2. Solving a puzzle, using the correct method and good strategy, provides a sense of accomplishment.
   
   The Bad
   I've played a lot of puzzle games. Apparently, some should just be called "puzzles", since they don't have any "game" element in it, and are certainly not fun to play. Professor Layton is a prime example of this. It's a loosely organized collection of math problems with a small measure of hidden object seeking and detective-ing in the mix.

It's amazing how this game makes the math problems even more boring than they already are. I tried to solve the problems out of the context of the game, i.e. pen and paper, without using the stylus or the game interface at all, and I had more fun than doing it in the game. I did feel accomplished after solving some puzzles, but I would have gotten the same feeling reading a puzzle book, or just doing my math homework.

The hidden object and detective parts are also bad. Your stylus needs to circle a very specific area. Sometimes you already know what's wrong in a picture (which is what the game is asking you, if you're wondering), but you don't touch the correct spot (a very small spot), and the game won't register it as a correct solution.

The gameplay is bad, but the story is terrible. About 2/3 into the game you'll be solving puzzles in a horror-themed castle and things suddenly turn supernatural. The story eventually becomes so out of place and illogical, it's laughable. To be fair, I didn't not-like this part of the game, since it belongs in the "it's so bad it's good" category. If the puzzles part were fun to play, the story really wouldn't matter anyway.

The Bottom Line
There is nothing to play in Professor Layton. Taking a walk on the streets should be more fun. Doing your math homework is more fun. Just about anything in life is more fun than this game.