HUDSON SOFT

30 OCTOBER 1987

Despite being Hudson’s Vol.2, this was in fact released almost a month before The Kung Fu (Drunken Master). It’s a conversion of what most people know as Wonder Boy in Monster Land, and it’s as perfect a conversion as you’re likely to get. This game takes a different pace from the first Wonder Boy game, being more of an adventure with a slower pace and more strategy. You start the game with barely a thread on and are given a sword by some wise looking dude who lives in a tree - so far so good. It is then your task to travel through the various platform-based levels defeating monsters and evil bosses along the way. Each enemy you kill leaves behind a coin or money bag (these are also at various hidden locations if you jump at the right spot) and shops will offer you armour, shields, weaponry and go-faster shoes. You can also pop into a bar and top up your energy if you can afford it. Levels are time limited (shown by an egg-timer on the left) so you need to be quick, or energy is taken away from your heart meter.

As mentioned, this is an extremely accurate conversion from the arcade - the sound in particular is spot on and the music has not been changed like it was in the Master System version of the game. Bikkuri Man World is pretty good fun, but it does have its limitations - it's basic look may put some people off, sometimes the bosses can be frustrating and there are points in the game where it would be very advantageous to be able to understand the Japanese text. However, it has a little more depth than your standard arcade-style platformer and will take some time to beat it. Graphics are simple, but well drawn for the most part and there is some good music, with one track in particular (caves) that I think is great. As one of the early Hudson games, it really is essential for collectors.