Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2

Crash

Overall (Robin Candy) 42%

Overall (Richard Eddy) 32%

Richard Eddy 32%

Robin Candy 42%

KICK HIGH There's been an explosion in martial-arts sims since The Way Of The Exploding Fist, as RICKY EDDY and ROBIN CANDY observe in this good beat-'em-up guide. And the ninjas just won't lie down - all they want to do is... They started three years ago, when Bug Byte revealed an interesting little number called Kung Fu. It was an admirable wireframe attempt to produce a martial-arts simulation - 'probably the most unusual game to be seen on the Spectrum for a long while,' said CRASH in amazement. But sceptics thought the genre would never catch on. It took Melbourne House to show them the way - The Way Of The Exploding Fist, which sold more than 150,000 copies for the Spectrum and nearly half a million across all formats. Since then, nothing's kept the combat games down. They've been grotesque (Barbarian), skillful (Fist) and downright silly (Ninja Hamster). The genre soon caught the nickname 'beat-'em-ups', as the gameplay always involves a player beating up his opponent, whether the computer or another player. And with the advent of the 128s and their improved sound chips, the fighting effects became more hideous - the most disturbing beat-'em-up sounds must be the animal squeals on Ninja Hamster. But most of these martial-arts simulations are so unrealistic, set in pseudo-Oriental fantasy worlds, that it's just harmless surrogate violence - and everyone likes a bit of that. YIE AR KUNG FU II Imagine 48% Issue 37 RICKY: When Konami attempted to improve on Yie Ar Kung Fu by adding a bit ovva scroll and some 'wacky' opponents, it all ended up a bit ovva mess... Oolong (from the first Yie Ar) has a son, aptly named Lee Young, who has vowed to wipe out the last of this father's deadly enemies - Yie Gah. But Yie Gah has many faithful Oriental minions, and Lee Young has to battle his way through them to reach the master enemy, For every wave of minion attack elminated, Lee Young gets a tea leaf, and when he has five tea leaves he can settle down and brew a cuppa to replenish his energy. There are bowls of chow mein to nibble from, too; these make Lee temporarily invincible. The main fault of Yie Ar Kung Fu II is the level of difficulty - there isn't any. It's very simple, unchallenging and pretty dull. 32% ROBIN: As a follow-up to a Smashed original, this is disappointing. It's not as beautifully presented or as playable as Yie Ar Kung Fu, and it's so easy to play. Don't bother with this mediocre effort. 42%

THOSE BEAT-'EM-UPS IN FULL The Way Of The Exploding Fist Fist II Gladiator Yie Ar Kung Fu Yie Ar Kung Fu II International Karate The Way Of The Tiger Amazon Women Kung-Fu Master Ninja Uchi Mata Barbarian Kick Boxing Ninja Hamster Renegade Sai Combat

Read it at Crash - The Online Edition

Crash

Presentation 72%

Graphics 66%

Playability 57%

Addictive Qualities 46%

Value For Money 46%

Overall 48%

Ben Stone

Mike Dunn

Paul Sumner

Producer: Imagine Retail Price: £7.95 Author: Julian Horn When Imagine bought the licences for a collection of Konami games, they acquired rights to some MSX titles which haven't appeared in the arcades, including Yie Ar Kung Fu II. The story follows on from where Yie Ar Kung Fu left off. It is twenty years since Lee (the original hero) managed to almost wipe out the Chop Suey Gang. But as fate would have it, one member survived and managed to re-build the empire of evil. This villain now calls himself Yie Gah Emperor, and surrounded by his seven warlords and their retainers, he has spread his evil ways throughout China. Following in the great family tradition, Lees son - aptly named Lee Young - has vowed to overcome the last member of this nasty gang, and to wipe out everything that Yie Gah Emperor has created. Lee's father has taught him well in the art of Kung Fu. Lee Young can perform all manner of moves against his opponents, including high and low kicks. He can also move right or left and jump or duck if necessary, and hurl weapons collected during his adventure. Lee Young also has a few tricks up his sleeve to add to his repertoire of Kung Fu moves. When he destroys a complete formation of midget attackers he is awarded a tea leaf. Five of these tea leaves are enough to make a cup of OO-Long Tea, which injects Lee Young with a new supply of energy, and up to three cups of OO-Long tea can be made and drunk in one game. Another useful pick-me-up is Lee's Chow Mein Noodle Power. After disposing of an opponent, Lee can hunt for a bowl of Chow Mein. Having eaten, Lee becomes temporarily invincible (the border turns blue to indicate this, and returns to its original colour when the effects have worn off). Lee Young must fight his way past eight of the Yie Gah Emperors attendants. A three screen attack wave of midget nasties precedes a screen containing an Evil Warlord who has to be defeated in un-armed combat before the next section can be attempted. Two bars at the top of the screen are used to display the combatants' energy reserves, or Ki. Ki is reduced when a blow or weapon hits home and if the Kimeter reaches zero Lee Young loses one of his three lives - extra lives are awarded at 20,000 and 50,000 points. The game can be played by one or two players. In one-player mode you compete against the computer, which assumes the roles of the Warlords. In competition with a human opponent, you have to decide who is to control Lee Young and who is going to fight with the Warlords before starting a three-bout contest. Anyone for a cup of tea? COMMENTS Control keys: Player One - U up, M down, K right, H left, L fire; Player Two - W up, X down, D right, A left, F fire; P pause, ENTER re-start Joystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2 Use of colour: un-subtle Graphics: poor characters and scenery, lots of flicker Sound: occasional spot effects Skill levels: one Screens: 32

Lee Young gets to grips with the Evil Warlord lurking on Stage 10 of YIE AR KUNG FU II.