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Variety is
one of the series' strengths -
seamlessly integrating different scrolling
levels.
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These shots are from the PCE
version.. Blasting through level 1, we again encounter
flying blackberries. The multiple system in Salamander is
simpler than Gradius, you just pick up extras and they
are automatically rivetted on, none of this selection bar
malarkey.
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End of level 1,
and it's the infamous brain. Some people found
this too hard... it's easy just circle round the
bugger, and don't stop moving... if you do,
you're braindead (sorry!)
See also Easy
Bosses
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Spikey bloody
fangs accost you in level 1, which has lots of
varied sections. I've got the arcade pcb, which
is absolutely perfect apart from this bit. In it,
the fangs are just huge white garbaged blocks.
Spoils it a wee bit, I think.
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And onto level 2,
where the action flips to a fast
vertical scroll. Gets awfully manic in here,
the asteroids never let up, and halfway through
there's a baddie which strobes the screen.
Must have been responsible for more epilectic
fits than any other game.
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Swirly arms do
their best to slap you to death in the end of
level 2. Same technique as the brain, flee round
it at top speed, shooting madly. This is also a
handy technique for negotiating roundabouts in my
home town of East Kilbride.
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Made it to level
3 unscathed, until seconds later this firey
sunflare roasts me into oblivion. Some shots of
levels 4-6 anyone? I used to be a complete
Sala-meister, until I lost my co-ordination a
while ago. The game becomes a total bast after
this!
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Ah, Robin
to the rescue: being someone who can take
screengrabs AND play the game at the same time,
Robin Burrows has sent in the following piccies
of the PCE version of Salamander...
It's hotting up now, as phoenixes dive bomb your
ship, not nice when you're trying to avoid the
flares.
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Unfortunately,
the PCE game doesn't have the superb ROAR that
the arcade one does when
this firey dragon dies. I remember scaring the
baby with this playing it (I've got the machine
in
the house) and getting severely verbally
admonished by the wife as a result.
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Back into
vertical mode, I like this level. A bit like the
first level of gradius on its side, with some
really nasty bits where ships pop up from below.
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This is where I
usually come a cropper (again!) A rapid war of
attrition before there's too many bouncies on
screen.
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End of the next
level, which is populated by asteroids, and a
horrible sequence where ships rapidly swarm in
from the side firing madly. I'm sure you know
this bit. The boss is a bit nondescript, and
appears pretty often in Gradius games too.
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Certainly a sense
of deja vu here too. Recognise it?
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Oh no! not
again!!! Moai heads, coming up to the large blue
blob that guards the end of the last level. And,
as normal in Konami shooters, being the last boss
it's ridiculously easy to waste! Cheers Robin,
thanks again for the pics!!
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is for....
player gameplay. Boasting 6 long and
excruciatingly hard levels, complemented by some
really catchy Konami arcade
tunes, Salmy became far too hard far too quickly.
Sometimes this means complete frustration, but in
this case it meant you had to hone your skills to
even dream about making it to the end. Not many
games today offer the same fierce sweat inducing
level of difficulty - making Salmy
a real purists shmupper. 
up this fairly scarce Saturn import,
sat down with a can of coke and twenty cigs and
got ready for a new blast! Impressions?
Excellent, but... I set it on medium difficulty
(default), and I finished it on one continue. Not
good. So here's a warning: Salamander 2
is one hell of a shooter, it's just set too damn
easy! Crank it up to the full difficulty, and
you'll get your money's worth! 
