Starstrike 2

Copyright : Realtime Games | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

After the failure of the Outsiders? invasion plans (in STARSTRIKE) the aliens retire to their homeworlds to rebuild their strength. The Federation decides to launch a pre-emptive strike and sends in a new model starfighter, the Starstrike II, piloted by (guess who?) you...

Your task is definitely non-trivial - 22 planets to be neutralised, divided into Agricultural, Industrial and Military categories. Each planet has a control system in charge of the work droids and factories of that world; destroy the control system and the planet is put out of action.

All action follow-up to 3D Starstrike from the creators of Carrier Command.

Graphics

Improving upon the vector graphics of the original, Starstrike II fills in the shapes and lines with brightly coloured polygons, without sacrificing too much of the series? signature speed.

Each of the different sections boasts it?s own features and they are all graphically unique and excellent. The enemy craft are varied in appearance and move elegantly and realistically.

Arguably the best looking space game on the CPC, Starstrike II is visually impressive and is virtually flawless. Brilliant.

Sound

With excellent sound effects and a pulsating title tune, Starstrike II is a vast improvement in terms of sound quality. While there are still better examples of music and effects on the CPC, these are still of a high quality. Perhaps not up to the standard of the graphics or gameplay but still good value none-the-less.

Gameplay

Fast and furious shoot-em-up fun. Moving away from the Star Wars origins of the first game, Starstrike II provides an original plot and adds a vast number of new features and elements to the core gameplay while leaving enough remnants of the original game to make fans immediately comfortable.

The space wheel section is tricky to complete but with practice you?ll begin to nail it and it is reminiscent of the docking sequence in Elite. Like the revolutionary space trade game, the immense satisfaction you get when finally docking with the wheel is second to none.

The real highlight of the sequences though is the space dogfights allowing you to move through 360° as you chase down your opponents who are tough cookies to break. This part alone would be a great game but making only part of the package is a fabulous move as you yearn for more after completing it.

That?s not to say the rest of the game is poor, it isn?t - not by a long chalk!

The difficulty curve is perfectly pitched and if one system is proving too difficult to master then you can cut your teeth on one of the others.

True, the gameplay is repetitive and once you?ve tried each of the three types of planets, you?ve seen them all but this isn?t to say the game loses anything through this. The standard of gameplay is high enough to get through what could otherwise have been a fatal flaw.

If you?ve missed out on this classic, then don?t delay! Download and slam it in your favourite emulator, now! You won?t be disappointed.