THE MAKING OF EARTHWORM JIM 2

THERE AREN'T THAT MANY GAMES THAT CAN CALL THEMSELVES "ONE OF THE CRAZIEST ADVENTURES OF ALL TIME". EARTHWORM JIM 2 IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE TOP THREE CANDIDATES

- WORDS BY PAUL KAUTZ

Released in 1994, Earthworm Jim was dressed for success right from the start. The team that created it was largely made up of the same people around lead developer David Perry who had previously enjoyed huge success with titles such as Cool Spot and Aladdin (both 1993). After the success of Aladdin, however, David wanted to reap the rewards himself for a change and founded the company Shiny Entertainment together with some former Virgin Interactive colleagues.

Earthworm Jim, the young company's debut game, was released in October 1994 and turned out to be a resounding success, with its wacky level design, crazy cartoon humour and bizarre characters such as Psy-Crow, Princess What's-Her-Name, Evil The Cat, Professor Monkey-For-A-Head and, above all, Jim himself.

Work on Earthworm Jim 2 began immediately after the release of the first instalment and its special edition. In hindsight, this was a mistake, as art director Nick Bruty tells us, “At the end of