Much like the original, but better!

The gameplay, weapons, enemies, levels, music, sound fx, and graphics are similar to the original. 2.5D graphics and nice visuals. Youve got some enemies that are kinda new, like those large, upright plant creatures that cant be attacked from below, goblins that hover in a spot and fire off 2 plasma balls at you before flying towards you. New level features include platforms that appear from the background, moving platforms, and spikes that shoot out of the floors, walls, and ceilings of boxes.

Arthur is always fun to play, but Perceval has got to be the best part about that game. Hes even more different than Lancelot was. His regular attack is a more powerful, but close-range sword slash. Theres a fire, ice, and lightning version of his weapon thats changed in the same way Arthur changes his weapons. The lightning sword is always short-ranged, but packs quite a punch. It can take down boss monsters in surprisingly few hits. His powered-up version of that does more damage and offers slightly more range going up and down and in front. Ice sword is similar to the lightning sword at first (sans all that power), but when powered-up, it shoots 3 ice balls forward in a short-ranged, spread pattern. Reminds me of a shot-gun or flame thrower. Fire sword shoots a single, long-range fireball forward. Powered up version shoots a flaming sword forward for more damage and ease of hitting your target.

His dash attack is awesome. It can take down enemies very quickly, and acts like a "triple jump". It can even destroy certain environment features like blocks, to uncover shortcuts, alternate passageways, and spots you can double jump for treasure chests. These are marked with cracked walls. It does have a relatively high cooldown rate (even more for Arthurs magic), and if youre not careful, you can dash right off a cliff, or into an enemy when it wears off.

Controls arent the best, but they work out well enough for an Ipod Touch. There is an button config mode to move the virtual buttons around, but I found moving them right into the corners causes my thumbs to cramp up, so I get used to having 2 "blind spots" when I play and just leave them in the default location.

Difficulty is slightly easier than the previous game, so if you were able to beat the original, you should be fine here. For those who want it hardcore like in the NES, SNES, and arcade versions, you may want to do Boxer mode, or come up with your own challenges.

ackmondual about GHOSTS'N GOBLINS GOLD KNIGHTS II