Summary
A classic shoot 'em up... and one of the hardest ever!
The Good
A straightforward, classic space shoot 'em up. This game was tough. Its level design was quite imaginative with frequent changes of pace. As in many other similar games of the time the ship was quite upgradeable and apart from the power-ups dropped by fully dispatched enemy waves, there were shops at regular intervals which provided many powerful upgrades, both offensive and defensive. Graphics were superb for the hardware capabilities of the time, scrolling was as smooth as an EGA card could make it and the music was a valiant effort to bring the original's excellent theme to the XT's meager beeper.
The Bad
Perhaps it was just a bit harder than it should have been. Personally, I don't know anyone who finished the game without cheating. Some players must have managed it, but such a thing would be a feat of skill and patience...
The Bottom Line
Xenon 2 was another old school shoot 'em up ported from the Amiga version. However, unlike the first game, Xenon 2 became a smash hit. Level design was excellent, though it bordered on insanely difficult at times. I completed "Menace" just fine and it was supposed to be quite challenging, but Xenon 2 was much, much more demanding.
