Zzap


Popeye 2
By Alternative
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #73

Popeye 2

Olive Oyl has been kidnapped by the evil Brutus (I always thought it was Bluto!). In the first of four levels Popeye must get through a busy building site with girders to jump onto and ladders to climb. Falling objects such as weights and coconuts must be avoided as well as fireballs and bouncing springs, while bombs must be defused before they explode.

Other characters making an appearance include Swee' Pea (who you must stop from crawling off the edges of platforms!) and Wimpy (collect all the hamburgers to get past him). Occasionally, you'll meet a goon, a sort of boxer fixed in a box. Goons can only be defeated by collecting tins of spinach to build up Popeye's musclepower and then punching them. This technique is also used for Brutus. When Brutus is knocked out, Olive is saved - until the next level where she must be rescued again! Other levels take place in a spinach factory, shipyard and jungle.

Huge, Don Priestley-style sprites are Popeye 2's best feature. Otherwise, it's a mediocre platforms-and-ladders game, made worse by some very frustrating features. Falling objects appear so far you've no chance to avoid them, and if that wasn't bad enough you can also get blown up by bombs that aren't even on the same screen!

Irritating and unoriginal, Popeye 2's nice graphics mean fans might get some enjoyment.