I have to say that I approached this game with trepidation, expecting it to be little different from its somewhat pedestrian predecessor, Stormlord. Certainly, the omens weren’t good, what with the strikingly similar plot and the fact the developers concerned had already produced the ultimate rehash in Cybernoid 2.


I was a little confounded then, when I began to play Deliverance, because it is actually quite different from the first game, bar the obvious cosmetic similarities. The object swapping and other ‘adventurey’ elements are gone and more intense ‘arcadey’ bits take up the slack. The game has more scope too, with six graphically varied levels on offer that correspond with the plotline of Stormlord’s ascent from Hell to Heaven.

The most noteworthy aspect of the game is definitely the imaginative graphics, which border on the plain weird at times - reference the giant tomatoes (an advert for GM food, surely) and the unsettling way Stormlord gets blown-up limb from limb (the stuff of nightmares). Particularly excellent are the bold, colourful and varied backgrounds, which help to create a decent ambiance and sense of purpose. The sprites, whilst still imaginative, are less consistent in quality and often look out of place against the great scenery.


Gameplay is routine in comparison and consists mainly of shooting or avoiding everything in sight. At certain points in the game, the scrolling stops and you must defeat a particular adversary, such as a giant eagle, before moving on. There is also an occasional opportunity to take to the skies on the back of a dragon: an interesting idea that sadly comes out half-baked. Other features include changeable weapons, including crossbows and bombs, and an entertaining between-level bonus round where you need to capture fairies for extra lives.

Unfortunately, the game has a couple of design flaws that take some of the gloss off what might have otherwise been a thoroughly decent blaster. The major issues are the unnecessarily large main character and odd method of jumping, which combine to make you an all too easy target and the game is consequently on the frustrating side of difficult. At least the generous number of lives and password system allow for some meaningful progress.


Then there are the instances of slowdown and flicker, which particularly ruin some interesting ‘set pieces’ including an erupting volcano and an Asteroids-inspired section. Still, I suppose this was always going to happen, given the heavy use of processor-sapping bitmapped objects.

Despite the failings, the game is still an OK slab of arcade action and generally more interesting, if not a great deal more playable, than the original Stormlord.