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The Worms series has been around for some time now with games on multiple platforms, each with a varying degree of success. In more recent times the series took a turn to 3D environments which never really worked as well as the games 2D counterparts. A few years ago the Xbox Live Arcade received a remake of the original Worms game which was well received. Now Worms 2 has been reworked for the XBL arcade, the big question is which Worms game should you spend your Microsoft points on.

Worms for those late to the party is a turn-based strategy game that gives you the objective of eliminating the other teams worms. To assist with this task, you have a wide variety of weapons at your disposal at the start of the round. The main default weapon is the bazooka which will do most of the work, but there are other fun weapons such as grenades, machine guns, shotguns, and even melee attacks. As the game progresses you can collect crates that contain health, extra weapons and often special weapons. Weapons all act differently and it can take some time to master how you use different weapons to best effect. Bazookas and homing missiles are affected by the wind and shots must be adjusted appropriately to allow the target to be hit. Bazookas and other projectiles such as grenades are also influenced by how much power is behind them, in that the amount of power depends on how far the projectile will travel. Guns are pretty easy to work as you just aim and shoot but need to take distance into account. Melee simply requires you to have your worm close enough to an oppositions worm to ensure a successful attack. During each turn you have a time limit to move your worm, either left or right and even jumping to gain a better vantage point. Once in a position you wish to attack from you can use one weapon or item with the exception being the ninja rope which can be used multiple times in a turn assuming you have enough of that item to do so.

Team 17 is a major supporter of online play and those who experienced what could be buggy and laggy online matches with the first XBL Worms entry, will be happy to know online is much smoother this time around with no bugs or lag noticed. Worms 2 also features a variety of leaderboards and online achievements for those who enjoy unlocking them that will keep you playing for some time to come. Online and offline multiplayer supports up to 4 players in many different game modes the best being Forts and your standard deathmatch. Before jumping online it is best to complete the tutorial and the single player campaigns 35 missions to ensure you have learnt how to use all the weapons and have experienced many different map types. Also of note, by completing the single player missions, you earn cash which can be used to buy more weapons and costumes that can be used to customise your worms.

Worms 2 is surprisingly a visual improvement over Worms which a testament to Team 17's effort to improve the game. Upon first look the games do have a similar look, however Worms 2 just has a lot more happening on screen. Explosions now wreck greater havoc on the environment with fire burning away the ground below your worms and damaging any worms that happen to be in the way. Effects from the weapons and even the worms animations have all been improved upon making for a more visually impressive experience.

In closing Worms 2 is the definitive 2D worms experience on the XBL arcade and the better pick when compared with the first game. With a fun lengthy single player campaign and excellent online options, Worms 2 is easily a game you could loose yourself in for many hours at a time. With DLC hinted upon due to it being a menu option, the experience will hopefully only get better with time. If none of this appeals to you do yourself a favour and download the demo to see what you have been missing out on all these years, you won't regret it.

Xboxzone Score: 8.7/10

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