Poker Night 2

Poker videogames, especially if they’re single-player-only like this one, are inherently limited: The game stands or falls depending on your passion and patience for Texas or Omaha Hold ’Em. After that, it’s all about the trimmings such as scriptwriting and presentation. Thankfully, Telltale Games know a thing or two about scriptwriting.

After you're beckoned into the fictional bar by a talking ape bouncer, you meet your opponents, all of whom are on loan from other franchises. There's Brock from Venture Brothers (voiced by Patrick Warburton), Claptrap from Borderlands , Ash from The Evil Dead , and the cartoon freelance detectives Sam & Max. Monkey Island 's Reginald is the host and the dealer is one of the all-time great videogame characters, GLaDOS the sardonic supercomputer from the Portal games.

For the most part, the voice actors are the original cast and Telltale's writers really have a feel for how they speak and behave; Ash uses his shotgun to shove his chips across the table, for example, and GLaDOS' put-downs could be lifted straight from Portal 2 .

Poker Night 2 is gently addictive. Its appeal lies in gambling virtual money and hanging out with the other players. You can even buy drinks for them; the drunker they get, the easier they are to read. If you fold or go bust, you have the option of watching the remaining competitors continue or you can start over. And prizes can be transferred to your profile in other games, such as Borderlands 2 .

Obviously it lacks the human element that makes the real game so gripping, but Poker Night 2 is still funny and engaging.