Released as “Volfied” in arcades, this sequel to the original Qix was re-named Ultimate Qix for its Sega Genesis release in North America in 1991. And – let’s face it – “Volfied” is a crappy name anyway, so it’s no great loss.

The gameplay basically remains the same as the original Qix, where you must capture a set percentage of the screen by drawing lines and connecting them with the boundary, or other lines that you’ve drawn.

The game features three modes of play (A, B or C); Easy, Normal, Hard and Pro difficulties, and a choice of three, five or seven lives.

Play mode A is time-limited, whereas modes B and C are not. In mode C, if you press the ‘C’ button on the gamepad, your ship will move faster. There are other small gameplay differences between these modes, depending on the difficulty setting chosen.

The Qix – the moving object inside the box that will destroy your ship if it touches any of your line incursions – has changed from a collection of moving lines, to a variety of moving sprites. It’s also accompanied by other, smaller objects that will destroy your ship if they collide with any of your lines as you draw them.

Ultimate Qix is challenging and playable, with reasonably good graphics. While it’s not what I would call an “essential” title on the Megadrive/Genesis, it is solid in terms of gameplay and presentation.

More: Volfied on Wikipedia