He’s back. Everyone’s favourite two-dimensional Indiana Jones, Pitfall Harry, is back for more adventure and peril in the second instalment of the Pitfall! series, Pitfall 2: Lost Caverns. Pitfall 2 was originally published by Activision and released for Atari in 1984, but was later ported to the PC with some success.
Like the original Pitfall, Pitfall 2 finds Harry in danger again…always. This time, Harry descends deep into the catacombs below his first venue. There are even more obstacles and traps to avoid in Pitfall 2, but the game play is still similar.
There are, however, a few very notable differences, the first being the fact that Harry can’t die. Oh, he can get in a world of trouble, but instead of losing a life, he is transported back to a checkpoint after a blunder and then he loses points. Essentially, the gamer is unable to “lose” the game, since it could go on forever, or until the user gets bored with attempting the same jump or trick repeatedly. The second major difference is the background scroll. While the original Pitfall did not scroll at all and was based on a horizontal platform, Pitfall 2 does in fact scroll, only downward as Harry moves farther into the lost caverns.
There are twenty-seven vertical levels, and eight screens
of a horizontal nature through which to navigate. Harry also faces many new dangers. Gone are the quicksand traps and tar pits of the original. They have been replaced by bottomless chasms and raging underground rivers. Bats, eels, condors and scorpions have become Harry’s main thorns, replacing the ever present crocodiles and snakes. He can also move back upwards into the caverns by using a type of hot air balloon.
Lost Caverns also sees the introduction of Harry’s niece Rhonda, and his pet cougar, Quickclaw, which gamers may remember from the classic Saturday morning cartoon, Saturday Supercade. Both of these new characters are required to complete the game. The makers also added an excellent soundtrack and some brand new sound effects (as well as some of the old arcade-style classics) to beef up the play of this true sequel.
Overall, Pitfall 2: Lost Caverns is a good play. It is entertaining enough, but loses some drama due to the fact that Harry cannot die. While some gamers may find this an excellent feature in regards to advancing the plot and closing in on the end, others may lose interest in it because of the lack of thrill. Still, Pitfall Harry and his cohorts are likeable characters that gamers can’t help but try to assist in their quests. This is a decent game for the genre and worth taking a look at.
