Gauntlet 2

Copyright : Atari Games | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

The follow-up to one of the most successful coin-ops of all time, Gauntlet II featured everything that made the first game such a success and added to it with even more cunning tricks and features designed to bring out the very best and worst in teamwork.

Once again brought to our computer screens by Gremlin Graphics, Gauntlet II received just as much critical acclaim as the original did despite its similar look and the existence of an add-on pack for the first title.

Graphics

Although undeniably similar in style and execution to the original, Gauntlet II still has enough improvements to be considered worthwhile. The graphics are still blocky but they move just a shade quicker and more smoothly than their predecessors.

Graphic additions are a mixed bag - the ?it? monster looks quite good but the acid blobs look like demented happy faces and don?t fit the feel of the game at all well.

Some work has been done on the backgrounds which are a little less sparse although they are still far from exciting and detailed.

Still, it has to be said that the graphics are definitely an improvement, however slight, and that they haven?t slipped in standard in any way. A solid performance.

Sound

The title music, by Ben Dalglish, is excellent. A big improvement on the original?s it feels quite medieval and fits in well with the concept of the game. In terms of a piece of game music it is very good indeed. The majority of sound effects are re-cycled or slightly recoded versions of those used in the first game although the short burst of music at the beginning of each level has been pulped.

Feels like a natural succession and the changes that have been made are worthwhile if perhaps not as wide sweeping as you might like.

Gameplay

The arcade game cranked up the difficulty by throwing in all sorts of new features like the thief that steals potions, keys and the like from you at the most inopportune of moments and new enemies like the dragons which were SOLID to try and defeat. Unfortunately neither of these creations has made the leap to the CPC, the thief being replaced by the ?that? monster, a variation of the ?it? monster (but more on that later) and the dragon being deemed too tricky to program (particularly upsetting for anyone who bought the game on the strength of the front cover).

The it monster is one of the most devious creations of the programmers. Being touched by ?it? makes you instantly begin to attract all of the dungeon creatures to you, leaving your teammate scot free and safe. This can be used tactically to draw fire and allow someone to sneak in and get the vital key, potion or whatever or else used in a far more evil way as this attraction can be transferred by touching another player. And let the arguments and chaos ensue!

One thing that wont be argued over anymore is who gets to play whom as it is now possible for both players to choose the same character as well as the colour.

Presumably the writers assume that anyone playing this game will already be familiar with the original and so for this reason the difficulty level is much higher from the get-go than in the original. For experienced Gauntlet players this is a good thing and it?ll be a long time before you see all of the 255 levels but for a novice this is perhaps a little too much and if you haven?t become a master at the original yet, I would recommend getting some more practice in before you try your hand at the sequel.

With enough about it to justify it?s existence, Gauntlet II is certainly a better and tougher challenge than the first and deserves to be judged on its own merits.