The sequel to the classic Atari arcade game, Paperboy, Paperboy 2 was developed by Manley & Associates and published by Mindscape in 1991 and only appeared on home systems (it did not find its way into arcades). The game is generally considered to be a bit of a failure overall, although it does have some good ideas in it.

From the title screen you can choose to play as either a paperboy or papergirl and can also enter a four-digit password to jump to the later levels, or leave it blank to start from the beginning.

The streets you’re delivering on are shaped in such a way that you alternate sides, so the first half is oriented right to left and the second half is left to right.

You can throw newspapers left or right in Paperboy 2 and it has to be said that it’s very easy to throw them in the wrong direction accidentally, until you get used to the control system. In between the diagonal streets are straight sections of shops or gas stations where you can get bonus points for throwing newspapers at burglars to knock them down.

The gameplay in Paperboy 2 is basically the same as the first Paperboy: you must deliver newspaper to subscribers, to retain them, and damage the houses of non-subscribers (for bonus points). A variety of hazards, from cars in the street to chasing dogs will make you crash (and lose you a life) if you collide with them. There are jumps that allow you to leap over fences and holes, and when you reach the end of the street you must try to reach the end of an ‘assault course’ without crashing. You need to move quickly on the assault course, though, because the timer can easily run down before you reach the finish line.

Paperboy 2 could have been a great game, but somehow it just doesn’t fulfil its potential and ends up feeling a bit half-baked. It also feels very repetitive, with the same houses and hazards popping up far too often. There is some variety to the game, but it’s spread out too far over the three weeks/streets you’re supposed to be delivering on.

More: Paperboy 2 on Wikipedia