Sadly, when one googles “Apprentice”, they are not presented with a great video game. Well, if I had my way, googling anything would yield a great video game. But no, in this case you would find some TV show about a rich narcissist who yells at people who aren’t rich because if he feels their business tactics aren’t enough like his.

But let’s try and forget we live in a world that makes such TV possible, and concentrate on Apprentice II: The Knight’s Move. It is the best adventure game I’ve played this millennium. Like many, it pays homage to the Old Lucas Arts adventure games such as Monkey Island, but unlike other’s, it re-creates their style flawlessly with superb writing, clever puzzles, and a sense of humor rivaled only by the old games it emulates.

You play as Pib, a young apprentice aspiring to become a full fledged wizard. You travel around the village near your wizard tower, talking to many well designed and genuinely funny characters as you collect the proper ingredients for spells. The spells prove very helpful in solving puzzles and it feels quite satisfying, like in King’s Quest 3 and 6.

Thanks to easy to learn adventure game-making program AGS, hundreds of amateur adventure games have been made since the genre left mainstream publishing. And many of them have been quite good, but none come even close to the vigorous level of professionalism that pours from every aspect of Apprentice 2. The game feels fleshed out. Corners have not been cut to save time, and using the wrong item more often reveals funny dialog rather than a crytic “no good” response. This attention to detail is what made those old adventure games so fun. But the No. 1 thing that sets Apprentice 2 apart from all the others is the animation. Beautiful, customized animation accompanies every puzzle. The artistic talent and time that went into making this game are rarely seen outside of commercially released game.

(Presumably) due to the high level of quality, this game is short. It’s not as short as Apprentice 1, which while also great could be completed in ten minutes if you knew what you were doing. But thanks to the difficulty of many of the puzzles, you could find yourself playing this game for a long time if you’re the sort that doesn’t resort to walkthroughs. With the exception of one near impossible puzzle, all the puzzles are well crafted and the avid adventure gamer will find great delight in solving them.

So if you’ve ever enjoyed an adventure game: download this one now! It’s free. Many of the obscure games I will cover in this continuing feature are not as easily (and cheaply) obtained, so consider yourself a lucky one. Also, keep an eye out for Apprentice 3. It promises to be full length and have higher resolution.