There are many things in life that roll. Logs roll and so do marbles. Rolling pins roll well, in the same way that steamrollers roll. There are cheese-rolling competitions in the West Country, and kids do roly-polys when they're playing. Some people even eat rolls.
As fortune would have it, the boulders in Boulder Dash 2 are perfectly spherical, making rolling an easy business for Rocky, the character you play. That's Rocky the humble labourer who's down the mines collecting crystals and trying to earn a crust, you understand, as opposed to the boxer with the rousing theme tune.
Rocky's task is to shift the boulders that litter each puzzle-like level in order to reach his crystals, whilst avoiding various dangers. These include shifting walls and creepy cave beasts that do their best to thwart his attempts at making an honest living.
Rocky is very easy to handle, with well-designed controls that enable you to make the most of his abilities. He waltzes around the screen doing everything you tell him, chiselling away and rolling boulders onto killer butterfly's heads.
There are over 30 levels of this kind of action in Boulder Dash 2, and by the end the complexity and dastardly cunning of the puzzles reach epic proportions – you'll soon be pulling out your hair with one hand even as you scratch your chin with the other.
This steep difficulty curve ensures Boulder Dash 2 isn't all over in a flash, but it can prove quite an ordeal when you can't for the life of you figure out the solution to a particular puzzle. Some levels seem impossible at first, and it's only through concentration and deduction – or the kind of luck that wins lotteries – that you'll prevail.
The overall presentation is very much in keeping with the Boulder Dash tradition, the original version of which is more than 20 years old. Admittedly, this means Boulder Dash 2 looks as though it's still powered by giant tubes and valves. But the retro feel really suits the game, giving it a solid and appropriately earthy feel.
That said, there are some quirky new additions that drag it (well, nudge it) towards the 21st Century. If you manage to pick up a 'rotate' icon, for instance, the screen will spin around and the boulders will bounce about as gravity takes over. But generally, Boulder Dash 2 comes with a classic pedigree and it stays very faithful to those roots; the new features enhance the game, rather than revolutionise it. It does what it does well – solving its trickier levels certainly results in an incredible feeling of satisfaction
There may be faster, bigger, brighter puzzle games out there, but don't overlook Boulder Dash 2 just because it appears a little dated. Diamonds are forever, right?
Boulder Dash M.E. 2
A fine example of an old-school puzzle game that's still on a roll
