After completing the first Touch Detective, young Mackenzie was inducted into the Great Detective Society, but gamers must help her overcome her lack of experience and self-confidence in Touch Detective 2 1/2. There are five new cases, as well as numerous side missions that arise as Mackenzie and her mushroom sidekick Funghi investigate each mystery. Players use the stylus to touch any areas that appear suspicious in order to pick up and examine items. Using the stylus to touch characters also triggers conversations that can be helpful in unearthing clues to each case. The top screen is dedicated to Mackenzie's inner thoughts, while the lower screen displays all the action. Each case is full of humorous dialogue, complicated puzzles, and oddball characters like the machinating maize-man The Cornstalker.