Zombie Wonderland 2: Outta Time!

It's often the case that video game sequels are better than their predecessors. The engine and mechanics are already in place, leaving the developer free to build a more exciting and intelligent experience.

Of course, there are exceptions to that rule, and one of them is Zombie Wonderland 2: Outta Time!

Its predecessor Zombie Wonderland was a mediocre mismatch of styles, with a few big ideas that never quite managed to gel together into a cohesive whole.

Rather than trying to deal with these problems, Zombie Wonderland 2 just adds time travel into the mix. Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of old undead slaughter games are, as we all know, condemned to repeat them.

The game is a mash-up of a variety of genres, mainly isometric shooter and tower defence. You play as Chuck, a grizzled zombie-slayer with a shotgun called Betsy who's also a dab hand at floor-cleaning and impromptu DIY.

It's your job to protect various structures in Niceville from zombie attack. You'll have to guard the prize cow in the barn, the jukebox in the diner, and a host of other small town staples from the unwanted attentions of the ravenous undead.

This time around, you also travel through time, in a convoluted and nonsensical plot to stop the zombies before they've started. Instead of Americana, you're looking after castles, Viking huts, and Egyptian tombs.

Levels play out the same wherever you find yourself, though. You'll barricade the windows and place your one upgradeable gun turret, then wait for the horde to descend. The turret fires automatically, and if you tap on a zombie Chuck will let rip with Betsy.

You'll have to balance your time between clearing out the undead and repairing your fortifications, which you do by repeatedly tapping on the 'hammer' symbol when you're stood next to them. There's not much depth or strategy to the battles, but they can get quite hectic.

After a certain amount of time has passed, the zombies retreat, and you have to clear up any gooey mess they've left behind. You sweep up the brains by swiping the corner of the screen, and any muck that's left when the time runs out counts against your score.

There are different types of zombies to contend with, and the game wants prioritising your attacks to be an important choice. In reality, though, there's not enough difference between the standard and super-powered brain-munchers.

Poor controls hamper Chuck, too, and you'll often find him sprinting to the opposite corner of a building instead of fixing the boarded-up window you wanted him to. On top of that, Zombie Wonderland 2: Outta Time! is blighted by the same repetitive nature that spoilt its predecessor.

Levels blur into a vague haze of gore, yawns, and slightly panicked joinery. There's fun to be had, and somewhere underneath the old mistakes is a great game waiting to burst out, but it's shackled by lazy reiteration.

Chuck's still fighting the same zombies, and no amount of gimmicky chronology-hopping can change that.