Greedy Spiders 2

As I write this with a crayon on a circle of paper in the corner of my padded cell, my puzzle-scrambled brain is wondering: "If Greedy Spiders 2 is so maddeningly hard, why can't I stop playing it?"

It might not take last year's simple yet punishingly difficult original in many new directions, but the level of graphical polish applied to the cute insect cast, tweaked controls (with a handy quick zoom), and smart hint system mean this turn-based puzzler does just enough to keep you snipping webs long past the point of sanity.

Once again, your task is to rescue trapped flies from webs before the titular arachnids can scuttle close enough to munch them.

Using a humble pair of scissors, you can snip away one strand per turn - either to block off the ceaseless march of the ravenous spiders or to free their victims.

The ruthless AI is your real enemy here, though, as the enemies have a counter to almost every move - often taking them in an unexpected direction and straight into the path of another victim.

Generic black spiders pose a serious enough threat, but their super-powered brethren who regularly pop up (like Midas ones capable of making unbreakable threads) will be your undoing unless you memorise their distinct abilities.

Fortunately, some stages give you extra power-ups to help you fight back - with Tesla Towers that shock enemies back and Spring Steps that actually fling them off screen - but they're in limited supply, and the dreaded Smart Spiders can dodge around them anyway.

No matter how skilled you get with each tool, there will be levels that just seem impossible to mere mortals (and game reviewers). Thankfully, there's a coin-based hint system, whereby achievements like beating a certain number of stages with a three-star rating earn you currency to splash out on solutions.

The very generous 144 levels are also unlocked three at a time, so you can skip ahead if you're stuck and return later. All in all, Greedy Spiders 2 does a good job of motivating you through trickier points.

But make no mistake: this is still one of the most challenging, demanding, and dangerously compulsive puzzlers around.