The Professor Layton game series cleans all 2,000 of my nerdy parts. It's a "puzzle mystery" deal, where you knock out brainteasers to find clues and solve a case. The gameplay recalls 8th grade gifted-and-talented class: "Move the matchsticks to spell a word;" "Use math and logic to solve a puzzle;" "Sit alone on the weekend and read Jane Eyre ." Oh, 8th grade.



The second game of the series, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box , came out weeks ago, and it's just as charming and puzzle-y as the first—also, just as bus-friendly. Still, newbies are better off saving $ with the older prequel, as the play is far too similar.

If you're fiending for the sequel, Nintendo sent along a Layton advertorial bit the other day, which I would've cast off if it wasn't kinda weird. On Wednesday (tomorrow, the 30th), Nintendo will hide a guy costumed as Layton around downtown Seattle, and he'll have DSes handy. Solve one of his puzzles, win a prize (and possibly the sequel). The catch: Gotta use cryptic clues to find him.

To review: Someone dressed as the above dude will lurk around downtown and compete with all the other weirdos for attention by shouting requests to "solve my riddles!", assumedly without a big sign broadcasting that he's some Nintendo rep.

Yeah, okay, I'll bite, as this could be an interesting downtown scene. First clue:

1) "Professor Layton enjoys fresh air, so don’t spend too much time looking for him indoors."

Um, that's helpful? I'll update this post with two more clues from Nintendo—one tonight, and one tomorrow morning. Nintendo's posting their own tips here, as well. Happy hunting.