The sequel to the classic Konami arcade game, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2: The Emperor Yie-Gah was only ever released for home computers and was never produced as an arcade game. It was first released for MSX compatible computers, on cartridge, in 1985.

In this game you play as Lee Young – a martial arts master who must rid China of the Emperor Yie-Gah and his allies. To do that Lee Young must first make his way, right to left, through three entrance screens to meet and fight the boss in each stage. The entrance screens have ridiculous-looking ‘baby’ ninjas flying at you that you must dodge or punch to try to conserve your health, before facing the boss. There’s even a pointless ‘radar’ type display at the bottom of the screen to show you where you are in relation to the boss.

Each boss – like in the first Yie Ar Kung-Fu – has a unique fighting style and you have to figure out how best to reduce their health bar to zero, before they do the same to you. Lee Young can punch and kick high and low (like in the first game), although pulling off moves – and jumping – is more difficult in this game as there’s only one fire button used. To jump you must press fire and push up/left or right, which doesn’t always work when you need it to, which is a cause of frustration.

There are eight bosses in total (fewer than the eleven in the first game) and they get more difficult as you progress through the game. The final boss, Li-Jen, rains lightning down on you and disappears off the side of the screen, only to reappear on the other side, if you approach him too slowly. The only way to beat him is to jump kick him quickly, or jump over him and try to punch him in the back.

Punching or kicking specific areas of the screen during boss battles will reveal secret power-ups, like Oolong Tea (which replenishes health) or Chow Mein Noodles (which grants temporary invulnerability). There’s also a secret health-replenishing visit from Lee Young’s father (Oolong, from the first game), if you plug the first MSX Yie Ar Kung-Fu cartridge into port two, while Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2 is running in port one. This even works in an emulator and I managed to get screenshots of it and posted them here.

One thing Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2 does have – that the first game didn’t have – is a two-player versus mode, so you can play against a friend if you want to. Player one fights as Lee Young and player two must choose between Yen Pei, Lan Fang or Po Chin, making Lan Fang the first ever playable female character in a fighting game.

Personally, I don’t think that Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2 is as good as Yie Ar Kung-Fu [one]. Mostly because the controls aren’t as good. But it’s not a bad game overall.

More: Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2 on Wikipedia