THUNDER FORCE II

 With your control pad in hand, you ready for an attack. Enemy fighters are at
twelve o'clock, and there is a giant base below. It begins shooting huge
fireballs at your streamlined vehicle. You thrust left, ready your "hunter
missiles," and hit the fire button. The enemy base explodes in a burst of red
and orange. As thick black smoke clears, you see a pile of scrap metal where the
mighty base once stood. Quickly, you change weapons and turn them loose on the
remaining enemy fighters. You catch one, but another comes from behind and hits
your left wing....

 In Sega's latest space action game, you must pilot the ultimate warship,
Thunder Force II, on a mission to save the Lone Star System. THUNDER FORCE II is
very much like the classic arcade game DEFENDER, with souped-up graphics, sound
effects, and variety of play. The game is made up of five different levels (or
boards). Each level contains two stages: One is an aerial view, the other is a
side view. Both show off the Genesis System's wonderful animation and graphics
capabilities.

 When the game begins, you may enter an option menu. The configuration mode
screen allows you to select a stage (one through five), change your current rank
(Training, Normal, Hard), and select the number of jet fighters you'll have.
Other selections let you to hear the game's background music or any of its
"futuristic" sounds. When you alter the option mode, you can play the same stage
as many times as you like, but it won't permit you to advance after you have
solved it. I like this, because getting to stage six is a real treat. You know
you did it with your own skill, not by changing the menu.

 The first stage of each level is an aerial view. Your mission, should you
choose to accept it, is to fly around the planet surface and destroy a certain
number of "mother bases." (If you happen to die in the process, your government
will disavow any knowledge of your actions.) Along the way, you find items that
improve the shields or fire power of your awesome spacecraft. Before reaching
one of the many land-based headquarters, you're confronted by a number of
unusual and wonderfully designed alien crafts. Each ship has its own weapons and
fighting technique. The surface graphics scroll in eight (!) directions and
convey a wonderful feeling of motion. All of the aerial missions provide a
three-dimensional effect that's very exciting to watch. On the third stage, you
must avoid alien skyscrapers that seem to touch the glass on your television
set! When you have destroyed the last base, the screen fades to black and
reveals the next action-packed board.

 If the aerial view is not enough to please you, then the side view will surely
do so. The graphics are much more detailed and your variety of weapons fills the
screen with animation and color. Unlike the aerial view stages, each "side view"
has a giant "main bad guy" that you must destroy to win. Each final enemy is
wonderfully designed and a delight to watch...but challenging to pass.

 On both of the stages there are many weapons you can find and choose. You start
with a regular dual-shot cannon and a front/back shooter. On your journey, you
may pick up a five-directional missle shooter, side blasters, homing missiles,
conventional lasers, and loads of other innovative and powerful artillery. Each
weapon has its drawbacks and good points. During the game, you'll figure out
which weapons can be used most effectively at which of the various points.

 The moment you insert this cartridge, you take a break from "thinking games"
and enter a world of aliens, lasers, and pure fun. If you're looking for
something that requires a quick trigger finger and nerves of steel -- or just a
game with great variety, detailed graphics, and stereo sound effects -- then
THUNDER FORCE II will be a blast...literally!

 THUNDER FORCE II is published by Techno Soft and distributed by Sega.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253