Full Review

While perhaps it's too soon to call something like Shaun the Sheep a childhood classic, the character who first saw an appearance during the Wallace & Gromit short 'A Close Shave' has become one of Aardman Animation's staples. Shaun's first appearance on iOS devices along with Shirley and Timmy was decent, but the current sequel to Home Sheep Home has learned from past mistakes, making it a seriously fun and cute puzzler.

Much like the original, Home Sheep Home 2 is set in the world of Shaun the Sheep with the ovine-trio attempting to make their way back home after setting out (inadvertently) on an adventure or two. Your task is to guide them to the level's exit by exploiting the individual traits of each character: Shaun is fast and great at jumping; Timmy is a baby, but perfect for crawling through tight spaces; and Shirley doesn't know when to stop eating, making her a great platform for jumps, a heavy weight, or a bulldozer for shifting objects. It's a formula we've seen many times before, but the magic is in its execution.

As to be expected, the game makes use of physics-based puzzles, but like many Lost Vikings style platformers there's a tendency for things to behave badly (getting stuck or easily dying), making them frustrating. Not so with Home Sheep Home 2 as each sheep can jump over the other (yes, even Timmy can jump over Shirley) while utilizing features such as explosives and swimming without risk of harming the wooly creatures. The puzzles themselves also go well beyond the simple tasks of the original, making great use of each character while providing harder challenges in the form of collectables and hidden items that require even more juggling to obtain.

Where the first game simply repackaged its free Flash version on to the App Store, this title goes a step further by only releasing the second chapter online, leaving players with a lot more value for their money as they complete around 40 levels (15 per chapter with 5 bonus levels each).

In a way, Home Sheep Home 2 feels like the game that should have been released the first time around. It sounds like harsh praise, but those who feel like they were burned with the original should definitely give this game a go. If you're a gamer who loves their puzzle platformers (or you're a fan of Shaun the Sheep), this is an easy title to recommend.

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