Epyx wrote many good games back in the good old Commodore 64 days, games such Winter Games, Summer Games 1, Impossible mission 1 and 2 etc. Summer games 2 is another one of them, this game came out in 1985 after Summer Games 1 (1984). Like with Summer Games 1 you choose your country and you get a short exact from that countries national anthem.
There are 8 events; they are Triple Jump, Rowing, Javelin, Equestrian, High Jump, Fencing, Cycling and Kayaking. A lot a practice is required because with certain events you are only given 3 attempts; javelin and the high jump are the ones.
Speed and timing is everything with these 2 events for you to achieve a high score and for your friends to curse you.
I found the equestrian and the kayaking to be the hardest events. With the equestrian you are trying to get your horse to move around the circuit, avoiding and jumping over obstacles, trying not to get time penalties and complete it quickly. With the kayaking, it not just about speed you needed to move through the gates, some of the gates are to be entered in reverse, you must complete in the quickest possible time. You do need some skill not just at “joystick waggling”.
The joystick also gets a good work out especially with the rowing and cycling events, trying
to get the right rhythm takes time! The sound, graphics and the animation of Summer Games 2 were very good for its time and the hardware (Commodore 64) it ran on. The game ran smoothly, you could see where the effort was made in the game.
Overall, Summer Games II is great game to play in its time, it is ideal for people who like to get high scores and the challenge for you and your friends to beat them. This game brings back memories of the past, of the many hours of game play, cheering, cursing and the after math discussions. All in all this is enjoyable and wonderful game! It’s worth downloading!
