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The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming! The evil otherworldly Predators have come to Earth to indulge in their favourite pastime of hunting lower life forms, their definition of which includes humans. On the bright side, the aliens do have their own slightly warped sense of honour: no killing of unarmed opponents, no slaughtering of innocents, only attacking people once they've turned themselves invisible, that sort of thing. You may think that this would inspire everyone to throw away their guns and live in harmony to avoid certain death, but sadly it would seem that no-one has that much sense. Particularly badly affected is the gang-war-torn city of Los Angeles, where shootings, drug dealings and death are common sights - and that's just in the local primary schools!

Of course, the most dangerous opponents for the Predators are, of course, the heavily-armed and violent drug gangs, who predictably become prime targets for the aliens. At about the time the sneaky aliens start their campaign of death, top crack elite police type Lieutenant Mike Harrigan is dispatched to investigate a number of kidnappings by - surprise surprise - the evil drug cartels. Being a bit of a hard-case, Harrigan himself becomes a target for the Predators, who regard him as the lion in the jungle - the ultimate prey. Now it's up to you to guide Mike around the city, rescuing hostages, blasting the bad guys and eventually confronting the despicable aliens in their own space craft!

An original game based on the top science-fiction film starring Danny Glover, itself a sequel to the Arnie-tastic Predator.

Run around the streets of LA shooting gang members, confiscating drugs, rescuing hostages and blowing away Predators.

The Predators in the game are almost as dangerous as those in the film. They're equipped with all the weaponry you might expect, except big nuclear laser cannons. The space of the Predators' arsenal is the telescoping spear which has heat-seeking capabilities, making it qute a threat to the safety of our hero.

The flying disc is probably the most dangerous weapon though. A kind of giant razor-sharp shuriken, the disc is thrown at great speed and is very difficult to dodge. The Predators also carry weighted nets which they use to trap their prey against walls, making them easy targets for a few attacks before escape is possible. Still, at least the Megadrive Predators are a little more sporting than their film counterparts and don't turn themselves invisible before attacking!

This being Los Angeles in the year 1997, there are a lot of powerful hardware around with which to dispose of your enemies. Sadly for Harrigan, most of it is in the hands of the drugsters, with the heroic cop beginning the game with only his trusty infinite-ammo handgun. Still, extra weapons are revealed by shooting certain enemies or just finding them lying about on the streets. The weapon currently in use is shown in the bottom right of the screen, along with the amount of ammo left in it.

The weapons you have collected are chosen by using the C button to cycle through them. The arsenal available to your character is detailed below:

1. Rifle
   Provides greater firepower than normal but with the same fire rate.
2. Scatter Gun
   Sprays a three-way stream of bullets across the screen at rapid speed, but uses up ammo quickly.
3. Sawn-Off Shotgun
   The most powerful weapon n the armoury, the shotgun, fires slowly but has great destructive capabilities.
4. Grenades
   Highly effective explosives which wipe the blast area clean, but are pretty difficult to aim.

You'd think it would be easy being a hostage; after all, it's pretty safe until your deadline runs out and the ransom remains unpaid. Not so with the hapless prisoners in Predator 2. The Predator has simply decided to use these prisoners to bait Harrigan into his lair.

Unfortunately, the alien is after a little target practice, so harrigan must reach the innocents before the xenomorph hunter has time to shoot them. His job is made a tad easier by the three-dot laser target used by the alien. If he sees this on the screen, it's a good idea for him to run past it and rescue the hostage the sights are heading for.

If you don't make it in time, you're treated to watching the sitting duck explode, with eyeballs flying towards the screen! Only a certain number of hostages can be killed by the aliens before it's Game Over time. The exact number depends on the skill level. The number of hostages you've lost is shown by a skull indicator in the top right of the screen.

1. Difficulty Settings:
   Three, each governing the number of hits you can take and hostages you can lose.
2. Sound Test:
   Test the tunes and effects and even turn the effects off if you want.
3. Continues:
   A fine password system effectively gives you infinite continues, even after you've turned the machine off.

Phew, what a relief. Acclaim have resisted all temptation and avoided spewing out another feeble platform answer to a film licence.

Instead, they have done themselves proud with an Alien Syndrome/Total Carnage clone that isn't half bad. Unfortunately, this is the second Sega game I've played this month with a crippled control system. Gnnh...

Fortunately, the nature of this game is more forgiving than Smash TV and so isn't half as frustrating as it could have been.

Graphically, Predator II is a bit scruffy. The sprites are good enough but certainly not brilliant. The sounds are a little fuzzy round the edges too. However, the game packs a polished challenge and I'll never be one to turn away from that.

Even the most hardened blast freaks are provided for here, especially on the hard setting where sharp reflexes and a cool head are needed. I wouldn't put this at the top of my list for shoot-'em-up fun and frolics but Megadrive owners can certainly do a lot worse at the moment.

I like it. Not a lot, but I like it.

Predator 2's disappointing looks belie its good quality playability. The sprites are small and not brilliantly drawn, and the perspective is sometimes pretty dodgy. Also, apart from the last couple of backgrounds, there really isn't that much graphical variety between levels.

Still, Predator 2's frenetic blasting action can be most enjoyable. True enough, the controls take a bit of getting used to, the same as with any control system with an aim lock facility, and sometimes there isn't much order to the destruction, but it's great fun to play nonetheless, with loads of death and destruction to enjoy.

This cart is a bit like a more exploratory version of Total Carnage, but the freeform find-your-own-way-around levels can be a bit annoying as you never know where the next attack is coming from.

Predator 2 is probably a good choice for those let down by the sadness that is Smash TV. It's good fun and much more responsive, making for a far more enjoyable game.

Presentation 87%
P. Lots of nice intros and intermissions featuring your friendly neighbourhood alien plus plenty of options.

Graphics 65%
P. The animation is pretty decent throughout.
N. Small, wobbly sprites and cute bland backdrops.

Sound 78%
P. Topper blasting effects to accompany the action.
N. The tunes, though accomplished, grow dull after a while.

Playability 70%
P. Pretty logical once you get used to the controls, plus decent response.

Lastability 76%
P. There are seven levels to keep you going...
N. ...but with that password system, they might not last as long as you think.

Overall 80%
A fine blasting game which should appeal to all mass carnage and destruction fans.