Parasol Stars is a wonderful sequel to Taito‘s classic Rainbow Islands, although it was never released in arcades.

The game was initially developed exclusively for the NEC PC Engine in 1991, and later released on other formats by Ocean Software. The brilliant Amiga version was released in 1992 and remains a firm favourite among Bubble Bobble series fans.

It’s a fine version of a classic game, featuring a neat water-throwing mechanic. One or two players can bounce around to the jolly soundtrack, using their umbrella to float, throw or defend against the cartoon baddies.

Graphically this Amiga version is excellent, although it isn’t quite as a colourful as the PC Engine original. This Amiga version also features a wider screen, but still scrolls when the level is larger than the display area.

What is interesting is that the original PC Engine version is subtitled “The Story of Bubble Bobble III” whereas this Amiga version is subtitled “The Story of Rainbow Islands II“. I guess both are right…

More: Parasol Stars on Wikipedia