Diamond Islands 2

Having recently moved apartments, I think I can say with some authority that I know exactly how the folk of Diamond Islands 2 feel. Lugging huge, tall boxes around, tipping them from side to side and squeezing them through sticky, small spots is pretty much part and parcel of the average move.

Though I didn't have four tribesman helping me along.

It's a shame because, both in the original Diamond Islands and its sequel here, tipping a totem pole around is what those tribesmen are masters of. Anyone who indulged in their previous efforts will feel perfectly at home here, with Digital Chocolate's follow-up pretty much treading a near identical path.

As before, your job is to navigate with a tumbling pole through a series of weird and wonderful grid-based levels. It's a puzzler posing as a platformer.

Like a platformer, there are plenty of treasures to collect along the way, too. As you might expect, Diamond Island 2 once again focuses on picking up diamonds that are dotted around each level.

Initially, they tend to sit along the most direct route, meaning you pick them up without any special effort or diversion. Increasingly, however, they require a detour or two, forcing you to make decisions: should you simply make a bolt for the exit, which does allow progress to the next level, or should you pick up all the diamonds along the way to please the gods?

Yes, that's Diamond Islands 2's subtext, and if putting a smile on the faces of those up on high is your bag then the game's Challenge mode will suit you down to the ground, requiring you as it does to curry favour divine favour by completing levels in the fewest moves.

It's a test that suits every skill level, with three different medals awarded (Gold, Silver and Bronze, as you might expect), depending on how few moves you make en route.

That's not to say that things are straightforward, in either mode. Just as in the original, Digital Chocolate has seen fit to spice up the gameplay by adding in buttons that have to be triggered to open up ancient bridges, or boats that can only take the totem vertically. Such features not only add a bit of extra depth and difficulty, but also a much needed sense of variety and progression.

And a lack of progression is probably Diamond Island 2's one soft spot. Though it would be cruel to suggest that this is an 'update' rather than a sequel, it's likewise only fair to state that there isn't much that's fresh and fruity here.

Rather than risk denting a solid formula, Digital Chocolate has provided more of the same, with new maps and challenges added on for good measure. Never has the old adage of “if you liked the original, you'll love this” had more weight than it does here.

By the same token, however, the fact that Diamond Island 2's totem is built upon the same stable foundations means new conscripts to worship the tribe gods won't struggle with a torrent of confusing rules and regulations overlapping those already set in place.