You’re a cop on the edge with nothing to lose but his badge (for the 13th time) and who always works alone (except when he works with his partner). Utilizing an array of weapons, critical thinking skills and self-proclaimed awesomeness, one man must do cop-like things. His task? To keep the retirement party for his partner, Renaldo, going. That is, until the formula for the rainforest needs created. Sound like a cheesy and weird cop movie? Nope. It’s the plot (or at least part of the plot) of Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3.

The game begins when Strong Bad starts the VHS premiere of Dangeresque 3 — the third installment of his “highly successful” action movie series. When the movie starts, you get the ability to click on objects and characters to interact with them. All the while, you traverse through the odd world of Strong Bad, which is disguised as a home movie combined with a detective film.

The majority of the game is puzzle-solving to reach areas like Venice (which is really a stone bridge over a river), item collection in places like Japan (also a stone bridge over a river), and environment exploration in places like Strong Borneo (not a stone bridge over a river, although other locales are also, in fact, stone bridges over rivers).

The puzzles consist predominantly of using the right object on the right person or other item. You’d think most of them would be solved using a lot of trial and error, but once you figure them out, you realize they’re logical, if not a little peculiar.

The item collection was intriguing. Finding which box or area or object would yield a neat little trinket or expand the storyline was an enjoyable challenge.

The jokes and character comments within the story kept the gameplay from slowing, and using the items, as always, was a fun way of earning character responses. But then, where else would you get to use a nunchuck gun? Man, I love that thing. So ridiculous ... yet awesome.

Like the previous Strong Bad games, I found this one fit well into the wacky world based on the Web cartoons. The humor, characters and gameplay worked for the world and the Dangeresque feel. The environments from previous games are, sort of, revamped into new locations for the “movie.”

At these locations, I used Dangeresque’s inventory and was able to reach them, but seeing how each location was changed into a “movie set” in a way only tape, cardboard and no Strong Badian budget can, was great. Action and dialogue between characters made me laugh and groan.

What sort of situations might these be? Usually, the odd ones. Of which, there are plenty. For example, Dangeresque finds a clue in some catacombs, which to his partner seem eerily similar to a combo meal at a Mexican restaurant. Dangeresque dismisses this claim. Obviously it’s a clue and not some already-painted-on mural of a menu that happened to end up in the shot. That’d just be preposterous and completely out of character to assume. Things like that made me laugh. Even when reading his e-mail with his own name, Strong Bad stays in character for his movie role. Now that’s dedicated acting.

The “breaking of the fourth wall,” which is even more apparent than normal, and mentions that the movie is “independently funded” to the extreme were also great: a character forgets a line or someone leaves a set just lying around, or they leave the camera on record. The film references were hilarious. Though I’d have to say my favorite part was near the middle of the game. I won’t give any spoilers, but let’s just say that where CG special effects are (according to Strong Bad) supposed to be, they very much aren’t.

The “person” whose job was to create the effects uses the excuse (while the movie’s paused during the “premiere”) that “it was going to be put in at post.” Strong Bad’s response of “This IS post!” had me laughing for quite awhile. Lots of wonderful little nuances of film are definitely present.

Overall, I’d say Dangeresque 3 was a fun bit of entertainment that did well parodying summer cop dramas and low-budget (or no budget in Strong Bad’s case) films. It was all around funny with chuckles and grins spread throughout. I’d suggest getting it if you’re looking for a bit of lighthearted goofiness. It’s not the longest game in the world, but it definitely will give you something to laugh at, or with — your call.