Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

The original Panzer Dragoon was impressive enough, but Sega has pulled out all the stops with this thoroughly entertaining and worthy sequel. Actually, Panzer Dragoon Zwei is a prequel. It takes place years before the original game and this time, a young boy and a young dragon are charged with defending their planet.

Although your dragon's course is still on a "track," this time around you have more control over where the track leads you.The graphics have been tweaked to the point that they're almost distract-ingly beautiful, and the game is much longer and much more challenging.

Graphics - 9

Sound/FX - 9

Gameplay - 9

Rating - 9

If you enjoyed the first Panzer Dragoon, then Panzer Dragoon Zwei will blow your eyeballs out of the back of your skull.

One of the most impressive titles released for the Saturn upon its launch was the superb fantasy/action game Panzer Dragoon. Its combination of traditional shooter archetypes with 32-bit technology, characters designed by master French fantasy artist Moebius, and healthy Dragonriders of Pern (Famous book series by Anne McCaffrey. Look it up, kid.) references made for quite an enjoyable time behind the old control pad.

So, naturally, the powers that be have produced a sequel for public consumption. Panzer Dragoon Zwei takes place years before the first game and tells the tale of a young boy who flees an Empire attack on his village with the aid of a young dragon. Alone and without guidance, you and the dragon must grow together while passing through the harrowing gauntlet of battle.

Being a sequel (well, prequel) Panzer Dragoon Zwei has made quite a few improvements on its predecessor. To begin with, the gameplay is more varied, and includes both flying and running sequences. The 360-degree battle view is still present, but it's much more refined this time around. One of the most anticipated improvements is the ability to choose paths, something which you couldn't do in the original Panzer Dragoon.