Sonic the Hedgehog 2: A retro review (updated review from my portfolio)

When gamer's were first introduced to Sonic the Hedgehog way back in 1991 they were mesmerised by the game's sheer speed, which had never really been seen before. Gone were the slow movements of a character plodding along the screen waiting for the next pitfall to jump or the next baddie that stood in your way. In Sonic, to progress through the game you had to run up hills, broke through walls, and bounce off baddies in mid air.

But the 1992 sequel does everything the original did but better, from the moment you hear the word 'SEGA!" sound out from the voice-over as the cartridge is powered up, you immediately sense that you're playing a very special game. Sonic 2 plays off from where the first one started, Dr Robotnik once again returns as the villain, at the end of each level you get the pleasure of defeating him in a boss fight.

If you thought the first game was fast the sequel is even faster,  although the level's are generally longer in length they tend to be linear until the last few levels of the game where it diverts from a simple left to right scrolling platformer to a more challenging top down one. The level's are also far more vibrant and colourful compared with the first game, the designers have done an excellent job of making the backgrounds as imaginative as possible, my personal favourite being the Emerald Hill Zone.

As with the first game the funky and iconic tunes return, each level has its own soundtrack and they accommodate one another perfectly, to play the game without the music is unthinkable. The only downside to Sonic 2 is the difficulty, although challenging in the latter third of the game you will not find it long before you master each level with ease on further play throughs. Which albeit there is plenty of, no matter how many times you might complete the game you will always come back for more.

Sonic 2 on reflection was without doubt the pinnacle of the blue hedgehog's heyday, he was still fresh and dynamic, there was quite simply nothing else like it on the market at the time, it sprang up countless clones but it was never and still never been beaten for simple video gaming joy. This truly was the gem in one of the most popular video game franchises we have ever had the joy to play.