Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! Review

The first game was a place. This one is a game. Every level now has residents with problems, so the orbs you collect come attached to small self contained challenges rather than a count, and the variety inside those challenges is the whole appeal, from hockey matches to trolley escorts to a manic ice skating trial. The moveset grew to match, with swimming, headbash and climbing opening up level geometry that would have been decoration before.

Moneybags is the structural gag and the structural irritation: gating your own abilities behind a greedy bear is a funny idea that also means backtracking with a wallet. Stewart Copeland's soundtrack and the newly talkative supporting cast give it a personality the original politely lacked. It is still not hard, and the combat is still a charge and a flame. The hub worlds are the best in the trilogy, though, and the pacing never stalls. For most people this is the one the series is remembered for, and that reputation is earned.