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Dynamite Dan is back to prove there's still life in the platform game

Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the cupboard, when you were quite sure that Doctor Blitzen and his evil bunch of cronies had finally been destroyed, and you had managed to float away to safety on the wings of a hot-air balloon, you must start all over again. Yes, it's Dynamite Dan II.

When Dynamite Dan was first released, it had a lively aura about it; it was the type of game that you imagine would have been as much fun to program as it was to play. Thankfully, Dynamite Dan II seems to have lost none of the original charm and novelty.

What the passing of time has achieved is a better standard of game. All the definition is excellent, and unlike the original game, there is very little colour clash.

Together with many other people, I slightly miss the days when six hours spent jumping from ledge to ledge was six hours well spent. I miss the days when at least three new ledge games would be released every ten minutes, and I miss Jet Set Willy. Playing Dynamite Dan II brought all this back to me with a vengeance; the perfectly-timed jumps, the agonising falls, they're all here, plus much more.

As you would expect, Dynamite Dan II does have an objective; you must travel around a total of eight islands, collecting a record on each, and inserting it into a jukebox. Having done this, you must find some fuel for your trusty Zeppelin and fly away. To help you in this seemingly neverending task, there are a total of thirty-two different objects, each with its own effect, varying from extra energy to immunity to bullets.

This may all sound very easy, but not surprisingly, life is made amazingly difficult by a stunning variety of baddies. They jump, spin, twist and drop around making life total and utter misery, and very nearly destroying your immaculately coiffured hair!

Perhaps the most impressive part of the game are the graphics. Varying from hi-tech to jungle, they are brilliantly defined with obvious amounts of care. The characters too are animated with as much attention to detail as I have ever seen on the Spectrum.

If, and when, you get to the final island, you must blow up the last jukebox, and then make a desperate run for your Zep, within a matter of minutes. Only then will you have completed this 180+ screen masterpiece.

My only criticism would be the sound. Although there is a good attempt to get a tune and effects out of the Spectrum, the chip is so strained that it soon becomes annoying. However, even this cannot make Dynamite Dan II unenjoyable.

It is probably because there have been so few ledge games recently that Dynamite Dan II seemed so good, but I still believe that any arcade adventurer worth his salt will relish the thought of bouncing, jumping and swimming his way to success. Overall, Dynamite Dan II is a programming masterpiece, and on top of that it is real fun to play!

A Monster Hit.