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Lemmings 2: The Tribes
 I remember well when this game first came out in 1993. I was suitably impressed. To be honest I was hooked right from the moment the Lemmings started tumbling onto the screen and I began frantically scrambling to save their skins. Ultimately I spent many long hours totally involved in my rescue efforts and it was devastating if I had to sacrifice just one little Lemming to complete a level. I had so much fun that I was a bit dubious about playing it again in case it didn't hold its sparkle some eight years later. I'm very happy to say that it did ... and I've once more glimpsed the complete Golden Talisman and secured the future of Lemming-kind.
Lemmings 2: The Tribes is a puzzle, strategy game so the story isn't critical. Really it's just a bit of fun to get you into the mood so it is worth selecting 'Introduction' at the opening screen to see what's happening. Here the Story Keeper is telling a young Lemming about the Prophecy ... how the 12 Tribes, each in possession of a segment of the Talisman, will live happily and fruitfully until a darkness descends on the land. Fortunately an Ark will be ready and waiting to convey the luckless Lemmings to a safer place and the 'Guide' who once before saved them will return to repeat the favour.
Hence you have 12 Tribes to deal with in this Lemmings episode which is the first noticeable difference from the Classic Lemmings that preceded it. The Classic Lemmings are still alive and kicking (unless, of course, you fail miserably) but they are accompanied by Egyptian, Shadow, Polar, Sport, Circus and Cavelems, to name but a few. Each Tribe reflects the theme that its name suggests so the Egyptian segment has lots of yellow, with triangular obstacles; Shadow and Cavelems are darker; Circus has tents and caravans, and Sport sports trampolines and the like. They are all colourful and engaging and, of course, dotted with pits and traps just waiting to catch an unwary Lemming.
 There are 10 levels for each Tribe, 120 levels in all, each with around 50 Lemmings in your tender care. If you have played any of these games then you are probably aware that it is either mouse or joystick controlled with a few keyboard substitutes, and by selecting an icon and then a Lemming you can assign occupations or actions to various individuals. Each level has a set group of available actions to assign and there are many, many more than the standard walkers, diggers, climbers, builders, bashers, etc. that featured in the earlier games or, indeed, in the later games. Just a few of the extras are swimmers, rollers, skaters, kayakers, skiers, hang gliders, and there's even pole vaulters and some balloons and magic carpets that come in very handy.
One by one the Lemmings drop down into the screen and one by one they will tumble over the first available abyss if you can't build a bridge or somehow divert them. They may get caught in a pit and one will have to bash them all out or, perhaps, you might just climb one out; turn it into a swimmer to cross the water; catch a swinging chain to cross the chasm; pole vault onto the ledge and then tunnel down to beneath the trapped Lemmings and free them with the laser. Simple ... when you know how J
Lemmings 2: The Tribes has a practice mode where you can assign various actions and learn how to work them. Most are perfectly simple but a few, hang gliding or carpet riding for instance, require the use of a fan to blow the Lemmings along. There are around seven or eight save game slots and as each level is completed the Talisman segment for that particular Tribe migrates inwards from the outer edge of a circle until finally they all meet up in the middle and the Talisman is whole once again.
Lemmings 2: Tribes will be hard to find now because of its age but, really, it's hardly aged at all. Although a little 'flat' the graphics are still perfectly good and the puzzles are just as fiendish. It compares very well with later Lemmings titles such as 3D Lemmings and Lemmings Revolution even if it doesn't offer the opportunity to save mid level. The levels aren't too long so it's not too bothersome to start from scratch if you fail. Also, it is a DOS game but it ran absolutely fine for me in DOS mode under Win 98. All that is needed is a little fiddling with the memory allocation. If you don't have DOS on your computer then try out the latest game, Lemmings Revolution.
Copyright © Rosemary Young 2001.
All rights reserved.
System Requirements:
PC 386mhz or faster, 4MB RAM (requires expanded memory) mouse or joystick.
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