The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

JOE BLADE 2

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade; Monochrome Search And Solve Puzzles

Authors            : Wayne Dobson & Richard Paul Jones

Standalone Release(s)   : 1988: JOE BLADE 2, Players, £1.99

Compilation Release(s)   : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron/BBC Dual Version

Actual compatibility    : Electron, BBC B, B+ and Master 128

Supplier            : PLAYERS, Mercury House, Calleva Park, Aldermastn,

                    BERKS RG7 4QW

Disc compatibility     : CDFS E00

Instructions

"JOE BLADE IS BACK - MORE MUSCLE, MORE ACTION! The streets are crawling with punks, thugs and muggers! Only one man can clean up this city. That man is JOE BLADE. Produced by Richard Paul Jones of Players 1988."

The year is 1995, the setting London. The streets are crawling with punks, thugs and muggers! The ordinary urbanite masses remain prisoners in their crumbling homes, too terrified to venture outside, into the crime-ridden inner-city horrorscape beyond their front doors.

Only one man can clean up this city...that man is Joe Blade.       

Joe Blade - teenage pin and pop idol, media celebrity, hero of the people, defender of the flag, helper to those less fortunate than himself. Mean, tough and fearless, his very name strikes fear into the cold hearts of each punk, thug and mugger.

You are Joe Blade... Using only your skills of hand to hand combat, you must clean up the city.

The punks wear armour to protect themselves from each other, so in order to kill a punk, you must kick him in the head. This is achieved by jumping over him. You do not have to kill all the punks. Once you have killed about 60, the remaining punks will get the message and repent of their evil deeds to become decent law-abiding citizens.       

Not only must you kill your daily quota of punks, you must also rescue sixteen citizens who have foolishly ventured onto the streets. To rescue a citizen, you must walk into him, then solve one of four subgames.

Subgame One

You must complete the seqeuence 1, 2, 3, 4 by pressing FIRE when the correct number appears.

Subgame Two

As with subgame one, you must complete the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4. However this time by swapping numbers. Press FIRE when the desired pair of numbers are underlined.                                                  

Subgame Three

In this subgame, you are presented with two sets of jumbled numbers. You only have to complete the top 1, 2, 3, 4 sequence, by swapping numbers between the two. When the desired pair of number icons are underlined, press FIRE.

Subgame Four

In subgame four, you are presented with an ever-changing number icon and four jumbled numbers. The object of this sequence is to swap the changing number with the flashing number to form the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4. When the desired pair of number icons are underlined, press FIRE.

Scattered around the city you may find items such as bins and clocks which will help you in your mission.

Game Controls

Z - Left,   X - Right,   : - Through door/jump,   / - Through door.

<RETURN> - Fire

Instructions' Source   : JOE BLADE 2 (Players) Back and Inner Inlay

Review (Electron User) - "Tricky Beat-'Em-Up"

As you can no doubt guess, JOE BLADE II is the sequel to JOE BLADE - a game which I thoroughly enjoyed when it was released a short while back. This new version is very similar to the original and features that teenage pin-up and pop idol, media celebrity, hero of the people, defender of the flag and helper of those less fortunate than himself - or so the cassette inlay claims - Joe Blade.

In this latest romp you are again in control of this do-gooder and your task is to clean up the streets of London circa 1995. No, you're not a garbage collector, though you'll find several dustbins which can be collected on your travels. You are in fact a one man police force out to reduce the rapidly increasing crime rate.

The city has gone to the dogs since 1989 and the place is crawling with muggers, skinheads, punks and the like. Anyone who ventures out into the backstreets and alleyways is quite likely to be pounced on and given a severe beating, not to mention being robbed to boot.

Your task is to patrol the city keeping a sharp lookout for shady characters and signs of trouble. Any punks you come across on your beat must be disposed of by leaping Kung-Foo style and booting them in the head. They then disappear in a cloud of dust, but there always seem to be more just around the corner.

The object is to kill 60 or so punks and rescue 16 citizens. You'll come across the latter every now and then as you walk around.

Like the original game, the graphics are superbly detailed and the playing window - which occupies the major part of the screen - shows a 3D perspective side on view. You can walk left or right and through alleyways into and out of the screen. As you move on to the next screen it rapidly flicks up - no scrolling here.

Apart from punks, you'll come across clocks which give you extra time to clean up the city - you've got just ten minutes - and dustbins, for which I've yet to find a use. On encountering a citizen the screen clears and up pops one of four types of puzzle. All involve re-ordering a mixed up list of the numbers one to four.

Sounds easy, but you can only swap certain pairs of numbers, and this pair is rapidly changing. To make things even harder the numbers are displayed as strange hieroglyphics, and there's a time limit too. If you don't succeed you're dead meat and you have to start all over again. I found this part extremely difficult, which spoilt the game slightly for me.

JOE BLADE II is a bit too like the original in many respects. If you have the original I would suggest you try this version before you buy it. If however, you haven't seen Joe Blade in action then it's an entertaining - if at time frustrating - game that will keep you amused for many an hour. Well worth a look.

Roland Waddilove

* * * Second Opinion * * * (Electron User)

JOE BLADE II is very similar to the original and it is clearly hoped that players of the first version will be clamouring to buy the second. There's no doubt about it, JOE BLADE II is a superb game - but I wish it differed more from the original.

The graphics are excellent, and the game is very playable. However, I too found the puzzle screens very difficult. If you haven't see Joe Blade before, either version will provide many hours of fun.

Janice Murray

Sound ........................... 7

Graphics ....................... 10

Playability ..................... 8

Value for money ................. 9

Overall ......................... 8

ELECTRON USER 6. 5