Video Game Bytes: Space Invader Extreme 2 review

• Space Invader Extreme 2 (from Square Enix for the DS, $19.99) — The legendary arcade game returns in a handheld version exclusive for the DS and nearly guaranteed to cause a seizure.

Yes, the player still moves a cannon across the bottom of a screen and shoots down ever more sneaky, speedy and powerful waves of descending aliens, spaceships and nasty, level-ending bosses.

This time out, a bonus-point-gushing Super Fever Time mode involving matching specific color combinations of invaders in a Bingo-style board is a rush, even on a small screen. The constantly flashing and colorful backgrounds, propelled by techno music, are back, making for quite a distraction while the player’s cannon can get powerups such as a ferocious laser beam or chain explosion bombs after targeting the right selection of colored enemies.

As the player battles through scored and timed attack rounds, he can go an easy route with unlimited cannons or make it difficult with a set stock of cannons as he staves off 10 types of invaders amid the chaos.

The addition of single and multicard multiplayer modes along with challenging Space Invader fanatics around the world through a WiFi connection keeps the classic fresh enough for the hard-core fan, and the price is so right.