Xenon 2: Megablast

The Good
Xenon 2: Megablast is just about the most flawlessly executed arcade game to ever appear on the pc. Every element of the shoot-em-up formula is there: swarms of opponents, huge bosses, strange scenery, and ridiculously massive weapon upgrades. As ever, though, the Bitmap Brothers take these pieces and make an even more powerful whole. At a time when space blasters belonged on consoles (Salamander for the NES) or in the arcades (R-Type 2, you name it), Megablast is somehow different and even superior in its visceral graphics and manic gameplay.

Unlike so many other games, Megablast is the graphical equal of its Amiga counterpart. And, incredibly, it manages a brilliant soundtrack on pc speaker alone. Yes, Bomb the Bass probably sounds better through 100 watt amplifiers, but Megablast will actually have you tapping and bouncing along during play.

The Bad
Megablast is unforgivingly hard, especially in later stages. There is also no password or save game option. However, these are really complaints of the "Claudia Schiffer has bad toenails" variety. Megablast is essentially flawless.

The Bottom Line
Xenon 2: Megablast is the "Generation Killer" of pc shoot-em-ups; nothing else even comes close. One of three or four games culminating in Gods that made the Bitmap Brothers into Kings of the Computer, Xenon 2 is the perfect realisation of its genre. And, one more time, you've NEVER heard something that cool coming out of a pc speaker...