I remember when I was in high school, I used to love going to the video arcade and playing games like Asteroids, Centipede, Galaga, Pacman, Spy Hunter, and others. Games back then were simple and fun. Sometimes I miss those days, especially in today's culture where everything has to be bigger and prettier and more sophisticated - often at the expense of fun game play.

So imagine my delight when I discovered Astro Avenger 2. This game is a basic shooter in the tradition of Galaxian and Galaga, but with modern graphics and sound, the ability to customize your ship or purchase new ships, and so much more. The moment I started playing this game, I was hooked.



As you might guess from the title, this game is a sequel to Astro Avenger. The two games are similar, but I enjoyed the second one more, so that is the game I decided to review.

In Astro Avenger 2, a hostile alien fleet is destroying everything in its path, and you must stop it. To do so, you must find all the pieces of a secret weapon and assemble them in order to turn the tide in the war. At your disposal is an advanced star fighter with customizable weaponry and defenses.

Astro Avenger 2 is a lot of fun to play. The game is filled with surprises that catch you off guard and keep you on your toes. For example, as you are flying over the beautiful detailed backgrounds, ships will appear out of seemingly innocent holes in the background, or parts of the scenery will detach from the rest and start attacking you. During each level, you will earn credits that can be used to customize your ship.



As you can see from the screenshot above, the game offers a lot of different armaments and options to upgrade your ship. In between levels, you can stock up on missiles, purchase weapon or armor upgrades, and even acquire robot ships that will fly alongside you and perform various helpful functions.

Astro Avenger 2 is available for Windows only.

You can download the Windows trial from here:
http://www.mygamecompany.com/Product...roavenger2.htm