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To be fair, he's been having a pretty harrowing time of it lately. Immediately after returning from his Indiana Jones-style treasure hunt in the original Rick Dangerous game, he found his native London invaded by aliens, the very same short, green and gruesome creatures that he encountered at the end of his first computer adventure. Slipping into his flashy superhero costume, complete with flowing cape, he dashed to Hyde Park (tripping over his cape only two or three times in the process) where the aliens had landed their vast spaceship. Gritting his teeth and setting his jaw, he strode purposefully into the portage fortress, determined to right the wrongs the aliens had begun.

Even with his over-inflated ego near bursting point, Rick knew that single-handedly saving civilisation wouldn't be *quite* as easy as falling off a particularly slippery log. So he came prepared with a limited charge laser gun and a number of short-fuse bombs.

The UFO and the four levels which follow it are in the form of a scrolling maze, packed full of defence systems and booby traps. Initially, these are lasers and electrical sparks, some of which can be deactivated by a kick to the approprate nearby switch. Switches can also move elevator platforms, giving access to new parts of the maze, but beware - some trigger booby traps.

Various creatures patrol the mazes and can be zzapped with Rick's gun or blown up with a bomb - either planted or slid along the ground. Bombs can also clear away crates blocking Rick's path, sometimes opening rooms containing bullet, bomb and life supply pods.

Rick's not quite so funny second time around - I blame it on the lack of a hat, myself - and the sequel doesn't really make any advances over its predecessor.

Ironically, it looks like MicroStyle have 'played it safe' with more of the same, admittedly very playable trap-dodging action which gets a tad monotonous once the novelty of the humour's worn off.

Still, the cartoon graphics are pretty good - especially on the C64 - with some neat animation of the dashing hero and five very different-looking levels. If you loved the original, then Rick Dangerous II will undoubtedly keep you happy for a fair while.

We are the Dangerous Brothers! I am Warren Dangerous and this is the beautiful Sir Rick Dangerous! It's a shame this isn't as funny as the violent Channel 4 Friday Night Live duo, or even the original Rick Dangerous game, which I'm very fond of.

Different graphics and slideable bombs aren't enough to kid me this is anything more than Rick Dangerous+. The cutesy sprites, waving their arms madly as they fly out of the screen when killed, are fun if you haven't embarked on a Rick adventure before, otherwise, yaawwwwn. Trap-dodgin', monster, zappin' maze exploration is initially fun but ultimately repetitive - especially if you've played Mr Dangerous's first game.

Presentation 83%
Mildly amusing text and graphics introduce each level, which can be played in any order, bar level five.

Graphics 82%
Small but detailed and well animated characters stroll through bright, smooth scrolling levels.

Sound 80%
Lively music and jingles and an array of excellent effects.

Hookability 88%
Traps are nasty from the start, causing many unexpected deaths, but sneaking past them and progressing that little bit further is satisfying.

Lasability 68%
Free access to the first four levels but, when all's said and done, if you dodged a few traps and killed some aliens, you've pretty much done it all.

Overall 75%
Second time around, Rick's antics can still while away an hour or few but aren't as original or amusing any more.

Presentation 85%
As for the C64 except with black-and-white mode, for that authentic Flash Gordon serial feel.

Graphics 80%
Cartoon-like definition and animation, albeit in an ST-ish kind of way.

Sound 83%
Pleasingly melodramatic music and quality vocal and mechanical samples.

Hookability 87%
Blasting robots and figuring out how to elude traps instantly appeals.

Lastability 67%
Different levels are merely different arrangements of adversaries, platforms, ladders, switches and traps.

Overall 74%
Rick's a fun chap to meet but can soon become boring.