Magic Carpet 2 - PC, 5/10/95

It's not often a PVC quoit scrapes over an abscess, but then it's not often we find ourselves recommending a hi-spec game to lo-spec machine owners.

Load this new incarnation of Francis Carpet onto a Pentium, you see, and it'll have you swinging around the screen like a seraph on codeine.

No longer able to hoover regally and pick off enemies in the manner of MC1, you just go all funny and wrong.

It's clear that Bullfrog's success in getting Magic Carpet to fly on 4meg 486/25s has gone to their gills.

With the now-standard 8meg/DX2 minimum, Magic Carpet 2 boasts slightly enhanced graphics (more detailed and varied enemies, underground levels) and stuff like bigger maps.

But pouring the rest of the power into the same graphics engine is like strapping a volcano to a clockwork pig.

Sickly speed aside, Magic Carpet 2 shows few changes to the collect manna/build castle/shoot giant bee formula.

Although you can now blast feebly-bleating herds of mountain goats to death, which made us gallop.

Despite the laurels for originality, Magic Carpet has never sold the hopper-loads most Bullfrog titles manage.

If you found the flight sim/strategy marriage slightly uneasy before, this won't change your mind.

Magic Carpet 2 - PC CD-ROM - by EA/Bullfrog

Req: 8MbR DX2/66
Graphix: 87%
Sonix: 84%
Gameplay: 75%
Lifespan: 69%
Originality: 31%
Uppers: Still looks great
Downers: Still too little variety
Overall: 75% - Mandrake Kangaroo