As far as Nintendo sequels go, it doesn't seem all too long ago that European gamers were treated to the exquisite, puzzling delight that was Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Less than twelve months after we were introduced to the eponymous protagonist, Japanese developer Level-5 are back to administer our fix of brain-titillating goodness with Pandora's Box. Is it a riddle that again chimes with our intrinsic love for mental stimulation, or is this one we've all heard before?

The pocket of people who are perhaps unfamiliar with what to expect from the Layton staple may require some foundational groundwork laying down. There are no platforms to leap across, no princesses in need of saving and no bosses in need of slaughtering. Rather, progression is made in the game by using your noggin to solve a variety of puzzles, problems and riddles. To sceptic newcomers, it may not sound like it can hold its own against the Marios or Zeldas of the world, but this is an experience you need to try for yourself. The sheer addictiveness of the formula and that vital urge to solve "just one more" makes the winning combination to project Layton to the status of arguably the best 'bridge' title on offer today. The more laid-back, non-gamer will find great accessibility in its gameplay, but crucially, even the most veteran of 'core' gamers will find great difficulty in putting it down. It may sound like a Nintendo-patented cliché, but these games really do break down the wall between the gamer and the casual.

Of course, fans who leaped aboard the bandwagon first time around with Curious Village will likely already be sold on the basic nuts and bolts of the series, so they are probably asking by this point what is fresh. The main plot strand this time around is completely new, with our trusty Prof and his questionably young-yet-unrelated apprentice Luke being tasked with solving the mystery of the Elysian Box – a mythical object said to kill any who open it. As our heroes board a grand, luxury train in pursuit of answers, even more characters from the previous title will recur in order to help (or hinder) your quest. Furthermore, direct nods to the events of Curious Village may be lost on anyone new to the franchise at this point. But we'll let you in on a little secret. Any notion of a plot in Layton is pragmatically an illusion. While the story is competently told, and various characters will likely trigger conflicting opinions from players, the narrative is essentially a paste whose sole purpose is to link together consecutive puzzles. The truth is Pandora's Box - like its predecessor – is all about solving those challenges, and that is what's going to compel you to play on when push comes to shove.

Level-5 has performed remarkably well when it comes to following up on the wide range of puzzles found in Curious Village. While some are altered takes on formulae found in the previous game, every puzzle in Pandora's Box is entirely new, and these range from spatial awareness problems, mathematical challenges, classic riddles and some which can only be described as fiendish trick questions. The vast majority of them are grossly engaging and all reward players with a real sense of achievement upon conquering them. There is of course the odd handful which will infuriate those who approach them with an unadjusted mindset, but that merely comes with the genre. If there is one criticism to be raised at Pandora's Box, it's that there are perhaps a little more of these plain-annoying puzzles than the ones which cropped up in the original game. However, this point is mainly subjective, and it's likely that one player will breeze through puzzles found nigh on impossible by another, and vice versa. If all else fails, the hint coin system is back to give anyone a needed nudge in the right direction should they find themselves truly stumped.

With so much mileage coming from the core gameplay of Pandora's Box, it's easy to overlook the presentational triumphs found strewn throughout the game. Level-5 has solidified their claim to have some of the best designers working on the DS today, with the locales on offer having some beautiful intricacy to boast. Add in some fully animated cut-scenes to make the affair the more cinematic, Layton's aesthetic sensibility is almost Ghibli-esque, though the package thankfully retains enough of its own mellow charm to refrain from ever appearing stereotypically and quirkily Japanese. (Incidentally, we're also eagerly anticipating Level-5's official collaboration with Ghibli: the epic DS RPG Ninokuni: The Another World, but tangents and whatnot). Voice acting also makes a return, and as effective as it is, we can't help but wish the whole game would have offered full VO instead of is being restricted to certain scenes. For now, we'll just have to learn to accept the substantial development time and resources voice-work requires.

Pandora's Box is decent-sized game; there are well in excess of 100 puzzles on the card, and the main story mode should take the most avid of problem-solvers no less than ten hours to complete. While there isn't a whole lot of incentive for a full re-play through of the same puzzles, there are a host of side challenges to keep things fresh while you are solving the mystery of the Elysian Box. These include a challenge to reassemble a broken camera using pieces found throughout the main quest, and a mini-game involving keeping a pet hamster in shape. There is also unlockable content waiting to reward series veterans who reached the end of Curious Village, and even that most modern of features – constantly new challenges in the form of weekly downloadable content. All in all, Pandora's Box is a meaty and varied offering.

The most succinct way to describe Pandora's Box would be to call it a crowd-pleaser. Millions of new and old gamers bought-into and enjoyed Curious Village, and the key point is they will not be disappointed. However, in this fan-service comes the game's biggest potential weakness, and that is the fact that anyone resistant or denial to the Layton oeuvre will not find any great revelation here to convince them otherwise. But credit where credit is due, Level-5 has succeeded in following up a fresh new property with sequel that is consistent. The real challenge for the developer will be whether they can pull off the difficult third album with The Last Time Travel, and even after that with The Devil's Flute. But the team have proven that they deserve confidence, and we are in little doubt that they can keep up what could very well be the hottest new IP on a Nintendo system in years.