Adventure Island II/Gameplay

Game Structure
The game is divided into eight islands, each of which has a number of areas to overcome. In each area you will have to move from left to right (or, in some cases, from bottom to top) until you reach the exit. Along the way you will have to overcome obstacles and avoid or kill the enemies you encounter. Touching an enemy or falling off a precipice will cause you to lose a life and have to restart the level from the beginning. You will also have to take the fruits that you will find, to restore your life energy. Your life energy is indicated by the white marks at the top of the screen. If your life energy runs out you will lose a life, so you have to be quick to cross the levels and get as much fruit as possible. Along the levels you will then find dinosaur eggs, the contents of which are unknown. The only way to find out is to open them, using your attacks or simply by going against them. Killing enemies and collecting fruit will earn you points. Every time you earn 20,000 points you will get an extra life. However, it is not possible to have more than ten lives. At the end of each area you will have to choose an egg, among 8 available. The egg can contain 50 points, 100 points, 200 points, 1000 points, 2000 points or an extra life. Based on the egg chosen, you will then be led to another area on the island map. It is not always necessary to complete all the areas on an island to move on to the next one, to do so it is enough to defeat the boss of the island, which is shown on the map. You will face it after completing the related level. However, if you lose a life during the boss fight, it will move to another area and you will have to chase it. If you lose all available lives it's game over. You will still have the option to continue the game thanks to the "continue" option. You can also keep the items obtained up to that point, but only if you have the Hudson Bee, which is given to you in the first secret room.

Throwing Axes and Dinosaurs
Master Higgins' basic weapon consists of stone axes, which he can throw at a certain distance. Thanks to the axes, Master Higgins can kill the enemies he encounters in his path, but not destroy the stones. If Master Higgins hits a stone, he will stumble, losing some of his life energy. Master Higgins is also able to ride dinosaurs after finding them within the levels. While riding a dinosaur, Master Higgins can increase his speed and attack power, but his life energy will decrease more quickly. There are four types of dinosaurs, each with their own abilities:


 * Red Camptosaurus: Can run fast and swim in lava. It attacks by breathing fire and its attacks are more powerful than axes. It dies if it enters the water.
 * Blue Camptosaurus: Can run fast and walk on ice without slipping. Attacks enemies with his tail and his attacks are more powerful than axes. It dies if you take it into the water.
 * Pteranodon: This dinosaur is able to fly, but is hardly controllable. It can drop stones, with a low attack power. It dies in the water. Only useful in vertical layers.
 * Elasmosaurus: This dinosaur is only useful underwater. It allows you to swim faster and pop bubbles. It doesn't have its own attack, so you'll need to bring axes with you.

Dinosaurs die on contact with an enemy. The red and blue camptosaurus can also destroy stones with their attacks, but the dinosaurs die if they hit one. During the boss fights the dinosaurs help the player in the fight, but independently from Master Higgins, without it being possible to control them. Before starting each level, the item select screen is shown, where you will be able to store or take with you the objects obtained up to that moment, namely dinosaurs and axes. If you get a dinosaur while you are already riding one, the previous one will automatically be stored. Note: passing a level without axes or dinosaurs is really tough, but if you succeed, you will eventually earn an extra 1000 points.

Items

 * Fruit: fruit is used to restore the vital energy of Master Higgins and can be found directly on the screen. Each fruit collected awards 50 points and restores a small amount of energy, with the exception of grapes, which are worth 100 points and restore a greater amount of energy. Grab it quickly, because after a while it disappears!
 * Ax: By finding this ax, Master Higgins can attack enemies by throwing axes. You can find it both in eggs and directly on the screen.
 * Skateboard: With this skateboard Master Higgins can move faster and without losing energy, but he is unable to stop or move to the left. He disappears if you are hit by an enemy or a rock, such as dinosaurs. You can find it in the eggs and it only appears if you already have the axes.
 * Spades Icon: Worth a red camptosaurus
 * Hearts Icon: Worth a blue camptosaurus
 * Clubs Icon: Worth a pteranodon
 * Diamonds Icon: Worth an elasmosaurus
 * Flower: Award 1000 extra points. You can find it in eggs and it only appears if you already own both axes and a skateboard or a dinosaur.
 * Meat: Fully restores Master Higgins' life energy and awards 2000 points. You can find it both in eggs and directly on the screen.
 * Milk: Same as meat.
 * Honey Girl: This girl makes Master Higgins invulnerable for a short period of time. She is found only in eggs.
 * Eggplant: It causes Master Higgins to lose energy quickly over a period of time. It is found only in eggs. Try to remember which eggs it is in and avoid breaking them.

Bonus Stages
There are many hidden bonus areas in the levels. To find them, keep attacking. If you hear a strange noise, take that spot and jump to make an egg appear, containing a key. Grab the key and a platform will lead you to the bonus area. There are different types of bonus areas. Sometimes you will be led to the sky, where you will have to overcome a path by jumping on springs, without falling and collecting the fruit you will find. The farther you get, the more fruit (and points) you can collect. Sometimes, these sky paths are slightly more difficult to navigate, but in addition to fruit, you can also get a dinosaur of your choice (except the pteranodon). Or, you can be led to a secret room, where a dinosaur will give you an item. Or even, you may encounter a flying dinosaur that will take you directly to the next island, if you wish.