Space Quest II: Chapter II – Vohaul's Revenge (often called Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge) is a graphic adventure game released on November 14, 1987, by Sierra On-Line. It follows Space Quest I and uses the same AGI game engine developed by Sierra. Players take on the role of Roger Wilco, a janitor who becomes involved in a new adventure to stop the person responsible for the events in the previous game.
The game was successful when it was first released and received good reviews from critics for better puzzles and a larger story. However, some critics pointed out certain issues. A sequel, Space Quest III, was released in 1989. In 2011, a fan-made version of Space Quest II was released. This remake included improved graphics, better gameplay, new animation scenes, and all characters had voices.
Plot
Space Quest II is set in a universe that especially copies well-known science-fiction brands like Star Wars and Star Trek. The story happens several months after the events of Space Quest I, with players taking the role of Roger Wilco, a janitor who saved his home world of Xenon from disaster by destroying a powerful weapon called the Star Generator and stopping the Sariens who stole it. A comic included in the manual explains what happened after Space Quest I.
Several months after saving Xenon from the Sariens, Roger Wilco accepts a job as Head Janitor aboard Xenon Orbital Station 4 as his fame fades. When asked to clean up a mess on a newly arrived shuttle, Roger is attacked in the station's hangar bay, knocked unconscious, and taken prisoner by unknown attackers. When he wakes up, he is held captive on an asteroid base orbiting the jungle planet Labion, run by Sludge Vohaul, a former scientist from Xenon. Vohaul explains that he created the Star Generator but was exiled by Xenon for wanting to use it as a weapon instead of for peace.
Angry about Roger stopping his plan to steal the generator, Vohaul reveals he is building an army of cloned insurance salesmen to destroy life on Xenon. To punish Roger, Vohaul sends him to work as a slave in the mines on Labion. During transport, a malfunction causes the ship to crash, killing Roger's guards. Avoiding capture, Roger escapes into the jungle, finds the shuttle he originally arrived on, and steals it. However, Vohaul takes control of the shuttle and forces Roger back to the asteroid base.
With no other options, Roger sneaks through the base to find a way out. Instead, he enters Vohaul's control room, where the scientist decides to keep Roger imprisoned permanently. Shrunk in size and trapped in a glass jar, Roger breaks free and enters a life-support machine that has kept Vohaul alive. He disconnects the machine, killing Vohaul, and then restores his own size. Roger activates a self-destruct sequence, escapes the base, finds an escape pod, and flees as the base is destroyed. Knowing the pod cannot keep him alive forever, Roger enters cryo sleep to save oxygen while waiting for rescue as the capsule drifts through space.
Reception
In 1988, PC Magazine wrote, "For those who enjoy challenging games, Sierra On-Line has the game for you." The magazine warned that Space Quest II was very difficult and that players might need the Hint Book to succeed. However, it praised the game's fun when played with others. The magazine noted that the game had excellent EGA graphics but said some details were hard to see with CGA graphics. Computer Gaming World stated that while Space Quest II was similar to the first game in the series, it had more detailed animation, harder puzzles, an improved parser, and a larger game world, making it even better. The review mentioned that some objects had unclear descriptions, especially when using CGA graphics. It also pointed out that the hidden location of the gem was confusing because the entrance to the underwater cave was not shown on the screen. Antic warned that the ST version of the game was trickier than the original and had better graphics. Macworld noted that, like the original game, Space Quest II succeeded because of its humorous animation and writing.
Space Quest II was ranked number four in Sierra's Top 5 Bestsellers. This means it likely sold more than 100,000 copies, earning the Software Publishers Association (SPA) Gold Medal. According to Sierra On-Line, by the end of March 1996, total sales of the Space Quest series had surpassed 1.2 million units.
Remake
On April 1, 2007, Infamous Adventures announced that they were creating a new version of Space Quest II, similar to previous VGA remakes. They showed pictures and a test version with the announcement. The remake was released on New Year's Eve 2011. It included voices for all characters and added more content.