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Kik Start II
Year: 1987
Publisher: Mastertronic

Kik Start was a huge success for Mastertronic, proving that a £1.99 game was just as good (and sometimes better) as a full-priced release. Shaun Southern’s sequel blew the already excellent original out of the water, delivering far better visuals, more courses, and best of all, an utterly superb level editor.

Gameplay-wise Kik Start’s sequel is very similar to the original, with you (and another player in the excellent verses mode) racing across five chosen courses as quickly as possible.

This time, though, the controls had been greatly refined, allowing for far better precision, which made it a lot easier to judge the speed to tackle certain hazards at. Yes, it can be annoyingly fiddly, but the sense of satisfaction you receive on a flawless run is immense.

And let’s not forget Kik Start II’s sprawling level editor. Sure, it takes a little while to get to grips with it, but once mastered you increase Kik Start II’s appeal tenfold.

24 courses was already a massive improvement on the eight found in Kik Start, but Shaun’s comprehensive level editor meant it would last as long as your imagination did.

Darran Jones

Rev that thottle, pull a wheelie and burn across the dirt track - Kickstart is back with a vengeance. This enhanced version of the classic motorcycling simulation boasts 24 new courses, improved graphics, tweaked gameplay, a couple of new hazards and a course designer.

Either one or two players can tackle a combination of any five courses at one time. The screen is split horizontally, with each motorcyclist viewed side-on. There are five separate timers above each display (one for each course), a total time elapsed meter and a speedometer.

The start of a race is announced by a klaxon, and both cyclists zoom off over the scrolling courses. The bikes accelerate, decelerate, wheelie or jump, depending on the way the joystick is moved.

Hazards litter the courses. Steps and Picnic Tables are jumped over, and Tyres, Hedges and Barrels have to be crossed quickly - however, the opposite is the case for Ramps, Sand Pits, Brick Walls, Screen Walls and Gates. Mud patches slow the bike down and spikes and flame shooters completely wreck it!

If an obstacle is attempted incorrectly, the rider is toppled and the landscap scrolls swiftly to the next convenient position where the rider can be put back on the course. When the screen is scrolling the timer counts twice as fast as a penalty for the mistake.

When you get bored of riding the preset courses, the editor can be accessed from the title screen to create new routes. When a course, or series of courses have been created or modified they can be raced over and saved to tape or disk for later use. Now you can build the most horrifically difficult courses and challenge you friends over them - he he!

Paul Sumner
If you've got little patience and are easily annoyed, then Kikstart II could drive you hopping mad. If you're like me and love the Kikstart series you'll love every minute of it. Controlling the bike is frustratingly hard to master, but the game's great addictiveness keeps you playing and playing. When you get bored of the 24 programmed courses, you can design your own with the built-in screen editor. At two quid Kikstart combines great value for money, variety, addiction and long-lasting appeal.
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Steve Jarratt
After being none-too impressed with the first Kikstart (and the subsequent 128 version), I am slightly less disenchanted with this latest offering. To say the graphics have been improved is something of an understatement - they're now very smart indeed and give the game a much-needed shot in the arm. Unfortunately, however, the gameplay remains very similar to the first, and I find it rather frustrating and tiresome to play. The course designer is, without doubt, the real star of the show, and for fans of the original it should more than justify the purchase price of this new version. After all, it's what they've been after for the last two years.
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Julian Rignall
This is it! Exactly what us Kikstart fans have been waiting for. The graphics are vastly improved, with far, far, better motorbikes and backdrops. The addition of a speedometer and slightly tweaked controls make riding the bike slightly easier and more precise - you can now attain the right speeds for negotiating obstacles without the need to guess. The screen editor takes a couple of hours of getting used to, but courses are assembled easily enough once the designer is familiar. The best thing though, is that the editor and game are both loaded at once - there's no clumsy loader involving several loads and reloads. Kikstart II is extremely well thought out, offering two player simultaneous action, a brilliant computer opponent and an excellent screen designer for only two pounds. How can you resist?
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Ratings
Presentation 91%
Very polished and user friendly, with one or two player option and a well thought out designer.

Graphics 79%
Much improved over the original, with lovely use of colour.

Sound 42%
Reasonable sound effects and a bland title ditty.

Hookability 82%
Initially frustrating, but improving course times is thoroughly enjoyable and maddeningly addictive.

Lastability 90%
Twenty-four courses and a screen designer to keep you scrambling for months.

Overall 86%
Just what Kikstart fans are waiting for - virtually unlimited dirt bike riding.


This review was typed in/OCRed by Jianso