Description of Starglider II
StarGlider 2 is an incredible successor to the classic space sim StarGlider, sporting significant improvements over its predecessor. This time you can travel between planets, fight space pirates, trade cargo you got from destroyed ships with the help of your tractor beam, fly upon and inside planets, and -- of course-- shoot everything that moves.
The graphics are no longer just wire-frames but solid filled objects. There are plenty of things to shoot at and explore in StarGlider 2. In space you can get swarmed over by pirates, which is where most of the fun is. After you dispatch your foe, you can use a tractor beam to collect the cargo he was carrying. You can then trade this cargo for weapons.
On the planets' surface there is a wide variety of foes to destroy, ranging from tanks to fighters to blow up. The planets have an underground tunnel system with little rooms where you pick up extra missiles and ammo. The game is so immersive that you'll really feel the sensation of flying over a planet's surface, in space and in huge tunnels inside the planets.
StarGlider 2 is not just a shoot 'em up space sim like its predecessor. The game has adventure elements in terms of "quests" you can solve that will provide you with new weapons and goodies when you complete them. Most of the quests can be found in tunnels, and involve catching something with your tractor beam and trading it for weapons, although there is a few unique ones, such as one that requires you to capture a space whale to trade for a ship enhancement.
Although the polygonal graphics are simple, the animations are so well done that the ships move the way you would expect them to move. In addition, each planet you can travel to has its own atmosphere. Dante, for example, is like hell (not surprisingly). It is littered with volcanoes that spew lava that can kill your ship.
There are so many things to see and do in StarGlider 2 that you will hardly notice the time when it's 6 AM in the morning. It may not have the same level of depth in diplomacy, adventure, and economics that Elite does, but its spaceflight model and sheer addictiveness are second to none. If you are a space sim fan, StarGlider 2 is simply a must-have.
Review By HOTUD
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
xyz 2022-11-02 0 point
Yeah, and they later basically became Rocksteady Games. Which is also pretty awesome if anybody asks me. ;)
CommanderHunter 2019-11-10 2 points
I hope you all are aware that Argonaut Games, the company that made this game, also made StarFox for the SNES. Just in case you felt any odd familiarity from playing the game ;)
MarkTheMorose 2019-07-19 1 point Amiga version
The Amiga and ST games were on the same disk, as they shared a lot of code both being 68000-based systems. However, the stores didn't like this, wanting both versions to be boxed and labelled separately.
Green-Elf 2018-09-11 0 point DOS version
I played and loved this game. So much to do. So much depth.
I remember it came with a full on manual with a novella in it too.
Lambinator 2015-03-12 0 point DOS version
The best space game I have ever played. It ditched the ultra realism of Frontier in favour of shear playability, fun and exploration - although it never felt arcadey, it was always an adventure. This game is crying out for a remake, space whales and all, even if 'Painting with Rolf' understandably gets cut. This game is the definition of cult classic.
OM 2013-02-07 0 point DOS version
...Ah, frack me. The upgraded version *did* come out after all! Mea culprit kids, as the damn thing never got to the shops, or rental places, or even on the pirate BBS networks.
MarcoTM 2012-05-14 0 point DOS version
When i saw this game the first time, it really blew my mind. Its the GTA3 of 3d games of the 80's. I just could not beleve that while a 2D platformer needed sometimes 5 discs for 10 levels while this game had a complete solar system with 9 planets, full of walking and moving 3d objects and even space whales packed in less than 400 KB. Ive played this game for years, Lots of times just floating in space, hovering above a space whale and following it to see where it went and that kind of stuff
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DOS Version
134 KBMac Version
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Rainbird Software
- Developer: Argonaut Software Ltd.
Amiga ROM
- Year: 1988
- Publisher: Rainbird Software
- Developer: Argonaut Software Ltd.
Atari ST ROM
- Year: 1988
- Publisher: Rainbird Software
- Developer: Argonaut Software Ltd.
ZX Spectrum Version
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Rainbird Software
- Developer: Argonaut Software Ltd.
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