Jet Set Willy II is a flip-screen platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computers. It was the sequel to the Manic Miner game released in 1984. The game was later developed for the Amstrad CPC, Acorn Electron Atari 400/800, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Commodore 64, MSX and the Commodore Plus/4 computers.
Review
STORY / GAMEPLAY Jet Set Willy is another of those platform games where you jump around impossibly difficult screens and avoid weirdly abstract enemies. Having just bought a mansion and after a huge house welcoming party, the housekeeper just won't let Willy to enter his bedroom until he gathers all the trinkets from around the mansion's rooms that his guests have scattered around (pretty weird scenario). The rooms are full of hazards such as static killer objects and guardians that move along predetermined paths. Willy loses a life if he touches an enemy or falls too deep, starting again from the point at which he entered the room. The truth is that probably you'll never be able to finish this game! Ever! Despite being supplied with an unholy amount of lives, this game set new standards in difficulty levels back in the mid 80s! The mansion is huge, the monsters too many and the game doesn't even tell you how many items are left to get! Nevertheless, Jet Set Willy is a fun and quite addictive game!
GRAPHICS / SOUND Although the Commodore version looks closer to the original Spectrum ZX release, the graphics are colorful and actually good. As for the sound the C64 version includes a few simplistic (and rather funny) sound effects but you can select to play with music only. Of note is that the introductory tune of the game is the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.