Sony PlayStation
Bandicoot is back. That gigantic rat with an appetite for thrills and spills is bound to prove as successful this time around as he did when unleashed in 1996.
The original had all one would expect to see in a 3D platform adventure and again the makers have gone for the tried and trusted. The gaming environment has doubled in size, and although characters Dr N. Brio and Ripper Roo join Crash in this latest adventure, there are also some new faces such as N. Gin Kimodo Mow, Joe and Crash's little sister.
The original game fell a little short of matching Mario 64 for the freedom of movement it gave the gameplayer, but the action was nonetheless hair-raising. While there has been some improvement on that front in this sequel, the emphasis is again on helter-skelter non-stop action.
In Cortex Strikes Back the player is immersed in a series of Warp Rooms consisting of multiple levels. This allows the player to choose between several levels at a time. So, if you are stuck in one level, you can always have a bash at another before heading back to it. This non-linear style of gameplay is most welcome and deserves to be applauded.
Crash even has some new moves that include sliding, flying and jet-skiing. Crash Bandicoot 2 doesn't exactly push the frontiers of gameplay, but what it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in the fun stakes. It's great stuff.
Graphics: 92%, Sound: 85%, Gameplay: