Gauntlet 2

Few sequels had as clear a task as Atari Games' 1986 Gauntlet 2 - to build on a phenomenon that, a year earlier, had turned arcades into arenas for four players at once. The game again casts players as a warrior, wizard, elf, or dwarf who together make their way through a maze full of monsters, treasure, and trapdoors, with the characters' health constantly draining unless they collect food. Gauntlet 2 didn't throw out this foundation, but expanded and refined it significantly.

The most visible new feature was a random level generator, which kept the game from becoming predictable after a few playthroughs, along with the ability for two players to choose the same character at once - something the first installment didn't allow. New enemy types and improved magic effects were added, along with subtle difficulty adjustments meant to address player complaints that the original had, at times, been overly harsh on lives and coins. The cooperative four-player cabinet remained the main draw - playing Gauntlet with four people at one machine was an unmistakable arcade experience.

To this day, Gauntlet 2 represents the peak of the 'fight, collect, survive' formula that the first game kicked off and that people still associate with 1980s arcades. As a direct sequel, it shows that Atari Games understood what players enjoyed about the original and wasn't afraid to repeat it with tailored improvements.

Why play it: Because it offers an even more polished version of the cult four-player co-op brawler that defined arcades of the mid-1980s.