Agent X II: The Mad Prof's Back

Lore & Background

The mad professor has returned, seeking revenge after Agent X foiled his plan to brainwash the President. This time he is out to ruin the world economy. He has set up an underground base on the Moon, from which he plans to unleash his terrible Zit-Ray, a device that causes everybody to break out in terrible terminal acne. The mad prof plans that, with spending so much money on spot remover cream—which, due to the terrible effects of the Zit-Ray, will not work anyway—the economy will be in ruins, as no-one will have any money left for essentials. Agent X must travel to the Moon, surprise the scientist, and destroy the zit-ray.

Agent X II is split into three different subgames. The first level is a side scrolling shoot 'em up in a similar vein to Gradius. Level 2 is a platform game, set in a tower of screens, each with three floors. Each screen contains a computer terminal, a floating code number, and an assortment of enemies. Agent X must jump from level to level collecting codes, entering them into the computers and killing the aliens. After three codes have been entered, a final code must be typed into the lowest terminal and a snake-like alien destroyed before the task is completed. The third and final level is a Breakout clone.

Reader's Guide

Agent X II: The Mad Prof's Back is notable as a sequel to the 1986 game Agent X, but it received generally poor reviews. Your Sinclair rated it 6/10, CRASH gave it 56%, and Sinclair User gave only 3/10. Mike Dunn of CRASH said, 'Despite decent graphics, Agent X II is a real disappointment after the fun and frolics of its predecessor.' Your Sinclair's Nat Pryce criticized the third level: 'Worst of all, there seems to be no skill involved—you can't aim the ball as in Arkanoid, it just zips around all over the place. Unplayable, I'm afraid.' Sinclair User called the game an 'Extremely disappointing follow-up to an excellent original. Highly unoriginal and dull. Don't bother.' The game's legacy is largely as a cautionary example of a sequel that failed to meet expectations, despite its ambitious multi-load structure and varied sub-games.

Did You Know?

• The game is a follow-up to the ZX Spectrum game Agent X.
• The mad professor's plan involves a Zit-Ray that causes terminal acne to ruin the economy.
• The game includes three sub-games: a side-scrolling shoot 'em up, a platform game, and a Breakout clone.
• Sinclair User gave the game a score of 3/10.