Joe Blade 2

Joe Blade 2 took a rather different approach to the first game. Instead of being a soldier, Blade was this time a vigilante taking to the city to rid the streets of criminals, rescuing old-age pensioners along the way. Blade was no longer armed with a gun, and had to jump over villains, just touching them with his feet, to dispatch them. In order for the civilians to be successfully rescued, the protagonist was given a simple puzzle (called a sub-game level) of organizing the pattern of symbols.

There were four types of these sub-games and all of them needed to be completed within 60 seconds. This almost surreal take on the game was in stark contrast to the comparatively more gritty realism of the first installment. The game was also known for being considerably easier than the first title, almost to the point where many players managed to complete the game in one hour-long sitting.

Paul Rixon for New Atari User said: "I did find the original Joe Blade more instantly playable, but this is probably due to the lack of instructions supplied with my preview copy of the sequel [...] I'd advise all arcade adventuring types, especially fans of the original game, to grab a copy without hesitation!"

Crash said: "short term Joe Blade II is playable, which wins much of my vote."