Computer Gamer


Repton 2
By Superior
Acorn Electron

 
Published in Computer Gamer #9

Repton 2

A sizeable percentage of BBC and Electron owners must possess a copy of Repton. All of them must have played it. In fact, Repton is a jolly good game.

Repton 2 is something else - brilliant! The sequel contains all the gameplay and features of Repton with so much more that it takes hours just to understand what the hell you are doing.

The basic plan of the game is to collect up to 42 pieces of a puzzle that make up the finishing screen "Repton 2 Is Ended". The first 100 people to photograph this get a T-shirt saying "I've completed Repton 2" and all the finishers will get entered into a draw for a £200 prize. The closing date is March 31st.

Repton 2

However, to get at these puzzle pieces you have to avoid the giant ants that hatch from eggs as in Repton. The spirits, which are extremely nasty, pulsating, fluffy balls that follow the walls. They are also very difficult to see, their colours being complimentary to the background of the screen, blue on black for example.

Diamonds are present for collection as in the original classic except for one or two small changes. Firstly, the diamonds are in cages and, secondly, the cages can only be opened by guiding a spirit into it, a very dangerous occupation involving you digging tunnels in just the right place.

A number of skulls are littered about, mainly guarding some of the puzzle. These skulls can only be removed by certain actions. Collecting all the diamonds removes one skull, all the earth another, and so on for all five, each one being removed for completing some (impossible looking!) task.

Repton 2

The last (really big) change is transporters. There are 64 transporters that allow you to travel between screens; there being no orderly progression between levels as in the original game. These are great fun and really set your head spinning as one transporter will not necessarily get you back to where you originally set out from - all very confusing, but straightforward in a warped sort of way.

There are sixteen screens to travel between and transporters may only be used once - so careful planning and map making is a must.

In addition to all this, there is a surface to the planet complete with a meteor shower to dodge. And the ever-present boulders that attempt to crush you to death.

Definitely a great improvement over the usual "Rock" game. Well worth buying - even for existing Repton owners, which is something that can rarely be said for sequels.