7 cert, Nintendo/Level-5, Nintendo DS (also playable on 3DS) ***

Professor Layton is set in London, but this is foggy Blighty seen through the eyes of Japanese animators. An attractive puzzle adventure in a popular series, it brings us back to his roots in an origin story. This time, the top-hat-wearing, tea-slurping academic is sent to a small rural town to investigate bizarre phenomena, or “Shine the light of truth on this ghastly shadow,” as one character puts it. There are cut scenes aplenty, but once you wade through them you’re asked to solve engaging puzzles, from the simple to the infuriatingly difficult. I love how you can progress even if you’re stuck on a puzzle, but I would’ve loved even more to just skip straight to them instead of trawling through its plot. Fans will find much to love in this gently humorous game.