Terminator 2: Judgment Day

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Young John Connor, future winner of the machine tools, was able to see the day since the Terminator failed in his first mission. T1000 then arrives from the future, new machine tools envoy, to eliminate both John and his mother Sarah. But the rebels of 1997 have more than one trick in their bags. So they recover, tinker and repackage a Terminator and send him in our present time to protect the Connor family from the vile android T1000. The game tries to recreate various scenes throughout the film, like the first level where T800 and T1000 meet for the first time and fight at a hospital corridor. Note that the CPC version has 7 levels while the C64 has a total of 9!
For example, on the CPC version, LEVEL 4 is a different fighting scene (much like LEVEL 1) in which you control the T800 and fight against the T1000 to protect Sarah while she makes her attempts to escape the mental institute. On the C64 version, you control Sarah in a multi-platform action, in an attempt to escape from the institute (where she was locked for some years), while fighting with the guards. LEVEL 5 on the C64 is the same as LEVEL 4 on the CPC! On LEVEL 2 (same in both versions) there is a motorcycle chase sequence via vertical perspective, in which you drive the T800's motorbike through a flood channel and avoid being hit by the truck that T1000 drives. You must take advantage of it to recover energy because other fights are waiting. LEVEL 3 is the first of the two puzzle sections that involves you re-arranging square pieces to re-construct T800's arm tendons within a certain time limit. If you complete only half of the puzzle, Arnie (the T800) will get half of his energy restored.
On LEVEL 6 you're in control of the SWAT van as Sarah tries to shoot down the pursuing helicopter while you keep the thing straight enough for her to get a decent aim (LEVEL 7 on the C64). LEVEL 7 on the other hand, is the final level on the CPC version in which you finally fight with the T1000 at the steel factory, while on the C64 there is a multi-platform scrolling arcade shooter, in which you control T800 breaking into Cyberdyne Labs in order to recover the remains of the first Terminator while the SWAT squad storm in to stop him. The C64 version continues with LEVEL 8 that involves the CPP's stage with the helicopter and LEVEL 9 that is the final fight with the T1000. Confusing, isn't it?
Overall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a quite addictive game, but it gets easily frustrating by its repetitiveness and, sometimes boring, gameplay.

GRAPHICS / SOUND
The graphics on the C64 are colorful with nice background details -especially during the fighting and multi platform action scenes-, but the sprites resemblance to the film's characters is quite inaccurate. The birds-eye (driving) scenes are colorful and the scrolling is fast and smooth. The game's sound on the C64 is acceptable, including an alternate version of the original film's music and only a few sound effects, limited to punch, kick and car engine sounds.