Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad

Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad is Saurus' sequel, and it is a different game rather than an update. The camera moves to a vertical, upwards-scrolling view, the branching routes are gone, and what remains is a tighter, faster, more focused shooter.

Four characters replace the previous roster, each with a distinct weapon and a special move, and the whole campaign pushes upward through a single route with set-piece battles instead of forks. The dash and roll survive from the first game, and the two-player co-op is still the main way to play it, but the pacing is noticeably quicker - enemies arrive in denser waves and the stages are shorter, which suits the arcade format better than the original's longer routes. It is a less ambitious game than Shock Troopers and, on most days, a better one: the reduced scope lets the gunplay carry it. Released on the Neo Geo MVS in 1998, it was the last entry in the series.

• ▸A vertical, upward-scrolling view replacing the branching routes
• ▸Four characters with distinct weapons and specials
• ▸Shorter stages with denser enemy waves
• ▸The dash and roll system carried over from the first game