GAUNTLET II

 GAUNTLET II is a port of the popular arcade game from Tengen (a division of
Atari Games) and Mindscape. This wild and colorful program offers excellent
graphics, animation, and sound effects; digitized voices; 100 dungeon levels;
all kinds of monsters, magic, and puzzles; two-, three-, and four-player
options; and joystick and keyboard control. According to Mindscape's press
release, GAUNTLET II is not copy-protected -- a claim that turned out to be
false. (This review is based on the Atari ST version; Amiga and IBM-PC version
notes follow.)

 GAUNTLET II continues the adventures of Thor, Thyra, Questor, and Merlin; it's
the closest thing to DEMON STALKERS (Micro Forte, Electronic Arts) that we'll
ever see on an ST. (While playing G2, it occurred to me that the original
GAUNTLET might have been the inspiration for DEMON STALKERS.) G2 is a marvel of
programming, and great fun to play. With 100 new mazes to conquer, a health
meter that ticks off far too quickly, and constant combat action cluttering the
screen, GAUNTLET II demands the save option that, unfortunately, is not
included.

 G2 takes place in the Dark Dungeons, a nasty labyrinth that players assumed
they'd conquered in GAUNTLET. Each maze has its own puzzle. The many monsters of
GAUNTLET return, as do the treasures, potions, and magic. The goal of each maze
level is to solve the puzzle, fight off the monsters, and exit to the next
level. The goal of the game is to stay healthy.

 The Atari ST screen display consists of the scrolling maze of the current
level. A maze consists of corridors and rooms and walls; certain walls can be
shot away or pushed, while others move by way of a mysterious force. Each maze
is loaded with traps, treasure chests, potions in bottles, amulets, plates of
food, and a stunning lineup of monsters. The monster generators look like little
houses; the number of monsters they spew forth is impressive.

 Monsters include ghosts, grunts with clubs, lobbers throwing rocks, demons
spitting fireballs, sorcerers, super sorcerers, and acid puddles. Death appears
as a figure in a black cloak. There is also an "It" and a "That." An "It" makes
your player "it" -- that is, a major attraction to all monsters; a "That"
removes a power, a potion, or 100 health points.

 To the right of the action screen is the status area: current level, score,
items, and health points are displayed for each character. Health starts at
2,000; it ticks down as you play and as you are hit by monsters. Plates of food
and jugs of cider add health points.

 Under your control are any of four heroes. Thor the Warrior is great with a
battle axe though poor with magic; Thyra the Valkyrie is good with a sword and
has moderate magic power; Merlin the Wizard is poor at hand-to-hand combat but
has excellent magic; and Questor the Elf is better with magic and just okay at
hand-to-hand.

 In a one-player game, your hero is controlled with a joystick: The stick moves
him or her in eight directions; the button fires the weapon; the ESC key uses
magic. In a two-player game, a joystick in Port 0 performs the same functions,
and the HELP key uses magic. Player 3 is controlled with the keyboard (Q, A, Z,
W, X, E, D, and C for movement; left shift key to fire, and the control key for
magic). Player four uses the numeric keypad for movement, the Enter key to fire
a weapon, and the numeric 0 key for magic.

 Players 3 and 4 can use joysticks with the aid of an adapter available from
Michtron. The device plugs into your ST's parallel port, and does away with the
keyboard except for magic use.

 GAUNTLET II comes on two copy-protected disks, and supports a second drive.
Theoretically, all versions of G2 use manual-based copy protection; indeed, the
ST version does feature a documentation check. Mindscape tech service told me
the disks can be backed up or copied to a hard drive, neither of which worked:
Copies of Disk A always bombed out at the hero selection screen, and Disk B was
completely inaccessible. Should you decide to purchase G2, consider it
copy-protected, but don't throw the manual away.

 The graphics of G2 are so excellent and wonderfully realized that this ST
version would be right at home in an arcade cabinet. The animation is fabulous;
the sound effects blend perfectly. A digitized voice welcomes your hero to the
Dark Dungeons, warns you of danger and death, and will make you laugh at its
attempt to pronounce the word "repulsiveness." GAUNTLET II is one of the best
arcade ports I've ever seen.

 All is not bliss, however. Health points diminish steadily, even if you're not
doing anything; they diminish rapidly when lobbers hit you with rocks, or grunts
pound you with clubs. The Grim Reaper alone removes 200 points, a tragic loss
that can be circumvented with a timely (read: "immediate") magic blast. If
you're the only player, there isn't nearly enough food. Two-, three-, and
four-player games add more food, but then there are more heroes to feed.

 The lack of a save-game option really takes the shine off an otherwise
outstanding game. Even if we overlook quickly-dissipating health points, there
are 100 maze levels to conquer; and although you can reach Level 6 by way of
exit on Level 1, it doesn't help. G2 is a difficult game, not so much because of
the puzzles, but because it's so combat-oriented: There are an awful lot of
monsters, and many mazes include _every_ type of monster.

 Still, GAUNTLET II looks and sounds so great that I'd be remiss if I didn't
recommend it. Expect a tough game. Expect to have fun. Expect to do a lot of
restarting.

 AMIGA VERSION NOTES

 GAUNTLET II on the Amiga is every bit as wonderful as it is on the ST. The
graphics are deep and richly colored, the scrolling is smooth as can be, and the
sound leaves nothing to be desired. There are so many hot, state-of-the-art
arcade games available for the Amiga that it takes something special to grab my
attention: GAUNTLET II is _very_ special. I used an Amiga A500 with 1M of RAM;
the game only requires 512K.

 GAUNTLET II is certainly fun in one-player mode. However, as the Atari ST
review points out, when you die, that's it: You're thrown back to the opening
configuration screen without a save. But if two or more people are playing, the
lack of a save-game feature suddenly becomes comprehensible: You don't _have_ to
save a game. As long as one member of the group is alive when you die, the
remaining living member(s) can pick up your objects (keys, potions, special
items), and you can return to the level you died on with a new life (and no
objects). Not only can you return to where you left off, but you can also select
a different character; if you had a hard time keeping up as an Elf, you can
reincarnate as a Valkyrie. Your strength is back up to maximum, no matter who
you return as.

 GAUNTLET II is one of a new generation of multi-player games that really
doesn't show its stuff in one-player mode. You simply die too quickly to get
through many of the 100 available mazes. But with one or more companions, you'll
find yourself well into the game before you can say (along with the digitized
voice), "Valkyrie needs food! Badly!"

 The Amiga version comes on one copy-protected floppy. You can't make any
duplicates of the disk, but you can leave the write-protect tab on, thus
virtually insuring that no accidental writes will destroy the disk directory or
files. You have to find a keyword in the game manual, as well. The peripheral
enabling the connection of two more joysticks via the parallel port is also
available for the Amiga. The game is in full, high-fidelity stereo; if you have
a stereo system nearby, plug it in and turn it up for some amazing sound
effects!

 Complaints? I can't really think of many. The onscreen characters are a little
difficult to control, particularly if you're trying to travel at an angle. I
wish it were possible to use the joystick for magic control, instead of the
keyboard. Other than that, the game's fast enough to hit the action hot spot,
but complex enough to require some careful, cooperative strategic thinking. It's
really a blast to go back-to-back with another player and shoot it out with the
monsters...Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, here we come!

 IBM-PC VERSION NOTES

 Mindscape must have put lots of work into making GAUNTLET II as much of a
showcase on the IBM as it is on the Amiga or ST. The graphics are just as sharp
and vivid in VGA mode as they are on the Amiga, and the scrolling's almost as
good. Gameplay seems identical across all formats.

 The program comes with support for CGA, EGA, MCGA/VGA, and Tandy 16-color
graphics, and requires a minimum of 512K of memory. There are two 5-1/4" disks,
which can be exchanged for a 3-1/2" disk at no charge. Play is accomplished via
a mouse or a joystick, but control is virtually impossible using the mouse.
There have been reliable reports of incompatibility problems with certain
PC-slot/joystick/clone combinations, so be sure to obtain a clear statement of
return/refund policies from the seller.

 I've heard a rumor that the game uses the "RealSound" software sound
improvement system, but there was nothing on the box or in the game
configuration screen to indicate its presence. While sounds occur at the same
points across all versions, the digitized voices coming out of the IBM's little
speaker are barely comprehensible; the booms and crashes are, of course, thin
and tinny.

 Excellent gameplay, hot graphics, and the multi-player feature are all
available in the IBM-PC version. So if you can live without good sound, GAUNTLET
II for the IBM will deliver endless hours of satisfying play. I sat down with a
friend intending to give him a brief tour, and in spite of ourselves, we were
hooked for over an hour. Just be sure not to fight over that last plate of
turkey on level 18!

 GAUNTLET II is published by Tengen and distributed by Mindscape.

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