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Venom (the Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem for those who have forgotten) strikes back. They're out to cause anarchy, death and destruction. The heroic forces of Mask are again going to do their best to stop them.

There are three missions: the Desert mission, Venom Base mission and Jungle mission, and you can choose which to undertake at the start of the game. You then have a choice of which three members of the Mask team to send on the mission (why can't you send all five?). The five members have their own craft which are Thunderhawk, Rhino. Rhino ATV, Condor and Gator. Thunderhawk and Condor can fly, Rhino ATV and Gator can travel over water and Rhino can smash through walls.

Each mission is a horizontally scrolling landscape filled with hostile forces. In the Desert mission, the President of the PNA (Peaceful Nations Alliance) is missing (all of him, not just the brain) and Venom are the culprits. He is being held to ransom and you must rescue him and take him to the Summit talks, where he is to sign a treaty that will ensure world peace for decades.

In the Venom base mission you are trying to find a missile with which you can destroy the Venom base and stop their control of the Middle East oil resources. In the jungle mission a large ruby has been stolen from a monastery and is being used by Venom to develop a powerful weapon. The weapon is inside a temple that must be destroyed and the ruby taken back to the monastery.

A tune plays on the title screen and this sounds reasonable. There aren't any tunes in the game itself. Sound effects are functional as explosions and firing sounds. As a sequel this isn't such a bad game, but it doesn't have the playability of its predecessor. There are three games here, but they are very similar - you always have to rescue someone or something. If there's a Mask III, I hope it's better.

Although this sequel tries to bring in more of the multi-character action of the cartoon, I don't think it's as good as the original. The action is broadly similar whoever you are controlling, and the enemy fail to provide many surprises. I'm rapidly going off the idea of sequels, particularly when they are tied into cartoon licences.

Green screen is as clear as colour.

Rescue the President.

Graphics 67%
P. Nicely animated sprites.
N. Poor horizontal scrolling.

Sonics 47%
N. Sound isn't made much use of.

Grab Factor 65%
P. Choosing the team members gives you more control.
N. Frustrating if you can't do a mission because the vehicle needed is destroyed.

Staying Power 53%
P. Three missions to complete.
N. Not enough variety in the tasks.

Overall 60%
P. Just not as addictive as the original.