I liked the original better
While it may be hard to convince many people that the original Puzzle Quest is superior to the sequel, I can't ignore the fact that I finished that game twice while I traded the sequel in after 10 hours. Since the gameplay is mostly the same, it is really just a few details that really drag this game down in my mind. First, I didn't like the decision to change the overworld map to a close up map. It adds to the amount of time you spend needlessly clicking on arrows on the screen without providing additional fun. Second, I felt this game was very slow to get going. After 10 hours in, I had a potent combination of available skills for my Assassin, but rarely had enough mana to use them. While it took time in the original game to build/find great items to improve your character, I felt like my character was underpowered throughout my time with the game. For whatever reason, the matches just felt longer than in PQ2. Finally, I feel that the decision to add useable in-battle weapons/items added needless complexity to a game that thrived on simplicity. For all of these reasons, I sent back this game and will keep the original instead.
