At first glance, I could not help but notice that for the age of the game the graphics are great. Worms 2 is the most customizable of the Worms 2D games. This can be a good or bad thing. It took a while to figure out all the different options I had and decide on what I wanted to do. This is OK - it was actually very nice to have so many options. At first I used the defaults in most options and just customized a few things aesthetically. There were enough toggles and options to keep my head spinning for a while. The game itself is so simple that I found it nice to have so many options to change the feel and play. The game has so many sounds and backgrounds to choose from, just deciding on what I want to choose aesthetically in the game can take a good chunk of time, but it is all part of the fun of the game. I played several times against my husband, although most of my games have been against the computer. I must admit that playing against my husband increased the fun threefold, although the computer is a decent adversary.

Once I start play, I am the commander of the aforementioned squad of commando Worms. The team is made up of eight little pink wiggly fellows. My goal? Destroy the enemy, either with ammunition or by drowning them in the surrounding pond. The environment has to be overcome as well in order to get to the enemy. There are a variety of weapons and tools that help in this endeavor. The game reminds me of rainy days in the military in the fall. Lots of puddles, and lots of dead Worms. Bazookas, grenades and exploding sheep are only a few of the many weapons to choose from. Hmmm, well we didn't have any exploding sheep when I was in the army, but the rest of the comparison works.

Controls are easy to figure out. The problem I have with all the Worm games is the lack of a Help File. I am Help File dependent. However, once I figured out where the controls are they were easy to use. It is such a funny game that when I learned it by trial and error, there was no frustration. The Worms are controlled with my keyboard's directional keys, jumping is done with Enter, weapons are selected using my function keys and mouse, and firing is done with the spacebar and the mouse.

For most of the weapons I angle my weapon, giving it power, and hoping it hits the way I want it to despite the varying degrees of wind. The wind adds a fun degree of chance and thought to the game, and at times I found that bazooka ammunition was coming right back at me, and I was squealing out loud at the situation. However I can not be frustrated for too long with little Worms eyeballing me and screaming all sorts of wormlike obscenities in a variety of clichй accents. Throughout the game little surprise deliveries fall from the sky. I often found myself trying to decide if I wanted to try and get whatever was inside the little surprise boxes, or if I should take that turn to try and destroy the enemy, or figure out a way to do both. The clock was ticking, and I was using up my ammunition.

Despite the humor that overshadows any violence in the game (think Road Runner and Coyote), there is a lot of thought that goes into play. I had to constantly question which weapon to use. There are many to choose from, but only so many of each. The terrain makes the use of some not worthwhile, and makes other weapons suicide to use. But in every situation there are so many options - and so many dangers. I found myself constantly competing with the timer for my turn, trying to make the best move for the situation I was in with each of my Worms. Each turn I am only allowed to work with a single Worm. I am allowed to choose which Worm that is, but that is the only Worm that turn who can do anything. At times the decision on which Worm I should maneuver was difficult, much less which of the variety of things was the best choice. This variety increases the enjoyment of the game, and adds a lot of strategy to this laugh-filled game.

Worms 2 should be in everyone's rainy day game library. These cartoonlike fellows have made hard days easier ever since I was first introduced to them. It is a unique point and shoot game with a ton of nuances that make it a true classic in turn based games.