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It's over a year since the Mekon's last attack on planet Earth, when his nemesis, Colonel Dan Dare, managed to thwart his dastardly plans and deflect the large asteroid he fired at our planet. Now the warped green genius has a much more sinister plan in mind: to create a race of Supertreens with which he can dominate the Earth.

The player starts with the choice of either controlling Dan or the Mekon. Dan's mission is to infilitrate the Mekon's flick-screen spaceship, find the Supertreens cocooned in their plexiglass bubbles and destroy their life-support systems before the level destruct sequence sends them to Earth.

To do this, Dan shoots the control box on each life support bubble. The hero has 10 Mekonian minutes to destroy them all and the timer starts as soon as the first Supertreen is destroyed. When all the Supertreens are killed, Dan makes his way to the blast doors, where he sits safely while the spaceship explodes. Failure to reach the blast doors in time, or not destroying all the Supertreens results in the mission being aborted, and the game ends. If the objective is successfully completed, Dan moves onto the next, more difficult, level.

Throughout the mission, Dan is beset by the Mekon and his henchmen, who fire on the hapless hero. Accurate hits remove Dan's energy, represented as a diminishing bar which shrinks towards a fatal zero. Dan has only six lives with which to complete the task.

If the player is in an evil frame of mind, he can take control of the Mekon, in which case the objective is to manually activate the Supertreens' life control panels and eject them into space, thus enabling them to wreak havoc on Earth. That all-round good guy, Dan, has set the destruct timer, so the task is completed in 10 Mekonian minutes for the Mekon to succeed and move onto the next level. In similar fashion to the alternate scenario, Dan's chums attempt to stop the Mekon from completing his task, and their lasers are avoided to keep the evil one healthy.

The graphic implementation of Dan Dare II puts many similar games to shame: if you ever wondered just what was capable with only sixteen colours on-screen, take a look at this!

The backdrops and sprites are absolutely fabulous; practically flawless. The gameplay isn't the most innovative in the world, but the action is hectic enough to make you want to keep coming back.

In fact, the intensity of the gameplay seems to create an enforced hyperactivity: you always feel as if you've got only seconds to complete the mission, and I defy anyone to play for half an hour or so and not come away feeling totally exhausted!

The rather limited gameplay is partially execused by the lower price tag, and although some people may find it too shallow, action freaks and mappers are more than catered for here.

Dan Dare was very impressive because it superbly converted the comic strip to computer format, with its powerful sense of interaction. Dan Dare II abandons this originality for a more standard shoot-'em-up, albeit with an unusual control method.

However, the derivative mould doesn't detract from its quality, and several factors help to discriminate it from the rest.

Firstly, the graphical detail: the explosions, heartbeats and pulsing heads of the Supertreens generate a brilliant atmosphere, and the precision and colour in the sprites and backdrops is nothing short of amazing.

Secondly, the time limit renders every game menacing, even with a pre-determined route; without one, it's hopeless.

Dan's mission also allows you time to wander around making a map, which is essential. My only reservation is about the lastability - the appeal wanes after you've completed both objectives.

However, until then there's a wealth of puzzles, some neat surprises and plenty of furious gameplay, all wrapped up in excellent presentation. Whether or not you like the original, take a look at this.

That role model of a hero, Dan Dare, is back again to thwart the evil Mekon's plans. I must admit that my initial feelings were of trepidation - after all, the original Dan Dare is a hard act to follow.

Fortunately, my doubts were soon dispelled - Dan Dare II is a worthy sequel, and a very good game in its own right. Although the game is essentially a shoot-'em-up, cartography is very necessary - the timer is very tight, and there's very little margin for error when it comes to killing all the Supertreens and getting Dan safely behind the blast doors.

The graphics are first class, and the small, but beautifully detailed sprites and superb backdrops successfully capture the flavour of the original comic strip. Sadly, the sound is lacking, with a few weak effects that sound exactly like the ones in Strangeloop.

Still, Dan Dare II is immense fun to play, and although there are only four levels to conquer, should provide plenty of hectic blasting.

Presentation 79%
Good instructions. Choice to play Dan or the Mekon is a nice feature.

Graphics 92%
Small, but wonderfully neat sprites move smoothly around beautifully detailed and solid-looking backdrops.

Sound 31%
Unimpressive blasting effects.

Hookability 91%
The frenetic action is very entertaining, and the progressive urge soon takes over.

Lastability 60%
Once the game is completed, interest wanes.

Overall 83%
A pulse-racing good shoot 'n search game, but possibly just a little short on lasting interest.