Hercules II

If you've got a Mega Drive and want to experience what's actually going down in ancient Greece, well, here's what it feels like. Hercules II is a classic platformer that puts you in the role of the most famous ancient musclehead and sends you out to bash all manner of mythical creatures. We don't know who made it anymore — it's just a relic now from the days when mythology stories were crammed into games with little rhyme or reason.

It's a classically designed action platformer with linear progression through levels. You move left to right, jump over chasms and enemy units, collect items along the way. Hercules sticks to the basics — punching, the occasional move across the screen, and defensive visits. Nothing new under the sun, but that was never the goal anyway.

The controls are straightforward, with no major concessions to modern comfort. You fall better than you'd like. You jump better than you fall. These two things will haunt you through every stage — and paradoxically, that's where most of the challenge lies. It's not about unfair difficulty, but rather just getting the hang of the mechanics. The graphics are simple, Sound Blaster and the Mega Drive's FM synth create an audio companion you'll keep in your head for a while — not because it's stunning, but because it's there. The video sequences between levels won't blow your mind, but you won't expect them to either.

Hercules II represents an era when publishers thought Greek mythology and a muscular guy were enough as a license. It didn't start here — the predecessor already existed — and this sequel stayed somewhere between solid action and routine. Nothing that would drive you away from the screen, but nothing that would magically pull you back either.

These days you can play it in your browser when nostalgia for Mega Drive platformers strikes and you're in the mood for eight-bit action without excessive complexity. A couple of hours won't hurt anyone. Just prepare yourself to jump more out of frustration than at phantoms.