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Fresh from defeating the evil Red Lord, the athletic Strider now faces an even tougher mission. Horror of horrors, aliens have kidnapped a world leader. 'So what?' asks Strider. 'Why should I bother rescuing some grey-haired politician?' Perhaps because this world leader just happens to have a 36-24-36 figure? 'Ah, well, now you mention it, I'd be failing in my duty if I didn't!'

So off the cartwheeling hero goes, to battle through five multi-directionally scrolling levels on the planet Magenta. Of course. the place is crawling with energy-draining nestles - including missile-firing robots and deadly flying birds - so Strider takes along a laser gun plus his huge sword (which also comes in useful for slicing bacon - yes, we can exclusively reveal that Strider owns a butcher's shop, currently running a special offer on alien mince!).

The hero's incredible gymnastic abilities come in useful for leaping over baddies (doing the obligatory cartwheel - flippin' show-off!) and climbing up ropes, chains or even walls.

At the end of each level, there's a huge mega-battle, for which Strider can magically change into an armoured robot - its strength determined by how many special icons Strider has picked up during the level.

The five levels are: a large spaceship, two huge towers, underground caverns, a generating station and finally, the alien complex climaxing in a glorious reunion with that world leader - by the way, we were lying about her vital statistics; it is, in fact Mrs T! *Aaaarrrrghhh!*

I love the whole look of the Strider coin-op; the imaginative mix of Japanese, Islamic and European architectural styles creates a memorable game. A year on, Tiertex came up with an original sequel: unfortunately the game has a boxy feel and a lack of variety which some nice touches, such as the missiles and birds, can't realty compensate for.

On the Amiga, the amount of detail has been increased, but the graphics are designed for the ST and compare badly with Turrican or RoboCop II. Combine this with a high difficulty level, which sends you back to the start of the level each time, and you soon lose interest.

The C64 game is a bit better - the big, somewhat blocky graphics look unimpressive initially, but they move quickly and there's a zestful feel about it all. Unfortunately on both versions, end-level confrontations are made dull with Strider turning into a sluggish, tank-like robot. High difficulty also makes the maze side of things irksome.

Sequels are often disappointing but Amiga Strider II is a real downer after the impressive original (96%, Issue 54). The glorious range of graphics has been much reduced, Strider himself seems a bit smaller with less animation. The laser pistol is also a bit awkward to use and makes the sword virtually redundant. Where there should have been a change is the music, it's identical to the original!

Even though the C64 game looks like the disappointing Black Tiger with no overlays, it all moves well - especially important for those athletic somersaults which Strider specialises in. Unfortunately both versions' gameplay is dated and unoriginal: it's all up and down and across, exploring unexciting mazes for the route through. The laser sword is still pretty, but overall Strider II is a step back, not forward.

Presentation 50%
Interlevel bimbo screen, okay title screen and reasonable multi-load.

Graphics 68%
Fast and nicely animated sprites, backgrounds are bland though.

Sound 42%
The tune was great in the original, but couldn't they do a new one for the sequel?

Hookability 67%
Reasonable fun, it's always enjoyable doing cartwheels.

Lastability 65%
Five levels provide a substantial challenge, although gomeplay variety is limited.

Overall 66%
Better than its predecessor, but still not that good.

Presentation 74%
Lengthy text/icon intro, but no inter-level screens

Graphics 73%
Detailed backgrounds, some nice imaginative touches but lacking the big ideas of the original.

Sound 78%
As rousing as before, but why not a new tune?

Hookability 67%
Level one is a bit dull...

Lastability 64%
...but five levels provide a big, and very tough challenge.

Overall 65%
A disappointing sequel.