Double Dragon II: The Revenge


by Paul Ranson, Peter J. Ranson
Virgin Games Ltd
1989
Crash Issue 71, Dec 1989   page(s) 70

Virgin Games/Binary Design
£9.99 cass, £14.99 disk

Billy and Jimmy Lee were first fought the evil Black Warriors back in issue 61. Double Dragon II takes place several years on, and this time the newly formed Black Warriors are more vicious: They kidnap girl friend Marian and kill her! Billy and Jimmy vow to rid the world of the murderous bunch. In single or two-player mode you scour the five levels of tough city streets wiping out the scum. A number of combat moves are on offer, along with an array of obvious weapons (like bike chains and guns), and not so obvious - just try hefting that huge crate. But watch both the timer at the top of the screen and the energy meters that decrease at an alarming rate when you're hit. Go to it guys, and wipe 'em out!

I wasn't overly fond of the original, but Double Dragon II - The Revenge is a great improvement. Both the character sprites and the nicely detailed backdrops are monochromatic: this cuts out severe eye strain, and more importantly shows off the great writes. Both Billy and Jimmy are capable of a staggering array of moves from a swift kick in an unmentionable place, to a series of complex leaps and bounds. Beat-'em-up fans (like myself) will find plenty of action in this brilliant sequel.

MARK [87%]


Here's one for all of you who thought the original Double Dragon was too easy. Doublr Dragon II - The Revenge. The game is set out in exactly the same way with the same graphics but different backgrounds on each of the five levels. All the sprites and backgrounds are well drawn and colour has been kept at monochrome to avoid any clash. Sound is also very good with plenty of jingles, tunes and effects. The best thing about Double Dragon II is that it's much harder than the original. Everyone could easily progress really far on the first, but now it takes more time and provides the player with a real challenge. There are a few surprises thrown into this game to add to the fighting mayhem. Like walking past a combine harvester and getting mown down, Double Dragon II The Revenge is a great game and should provide you with endless beat 'em up fun.
NICK [83%]

Presentation: 81%
Graphics: 84%
Sound: 78%
Playability: 83%
Addictivity: 82%
Overall: 85%

Summary: A great oriental beat-'em-up that greatly improves on the original in graphics and playability.

Transcript by Chris Bourne

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