Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe's guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo's download service. Written by Sam C Gittins.

A popular installment from one of the most well-known RPG series of all time makes its welcome appearance on the Virtual Console. Anyway enough from me and on with the game!

Available for download this week we have...

• Final Fantasy II

Points: 900
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Squaresoft
Released: 1991
System: SNES

The legendary Final Fantasy returns in the form of the second game which is in actuality the fourth owing to the actual second and third installments remaining in Japan at the time, but this doesn't make it any less awesome in fact some might say even more so and for very good reasons which will be outlined in this review.

Full of tried and tested staples of the RPG genre you travel across a vast map randomly encountering enemies along the way for you to fight in an active-time based manner thanks to the then revolutionary battle system that the game employs; this of course enables you to gain both experience and money in order to ultimately become more powerful and proficient. Then it's off to the next town to upgrade your armour and arsenal in addition to talking with the local townsfolk who are always keen to pass on their words of wisdom if you care enough to listen.

If you're new to the series then you may be unfamiliar in the workings of the battle system but basically all it means is that you're fighting in real-time except each player has a brief 'cool-down' period of a few seconds where you can't use them; if you're cunning however you can use your team of heroes efficiently in battle ensuring every second counts. It's all very strategic and yet lends itself to still being 'fun' but in a rather unique way that has to be played in order to be fully appreciated.

Controls for the game are very smooth and are easy to pick up, adding to the overall experience and making it that much easier to get into; it's poorly paced however when compared to more modern RPG's as it takes a while for things to 'get going' but be advised that it is well worth investing the time in because things get that much more epic in proportion to how much further you progress.

From a visual standpoint this may lack the finesse of later entries but by and large everything is very solid indeed showing off a surprising amount of both detail and depth in the games various areas. The soundtrack is particularly worthy of praise as it's aurally astounding and so it should be being as it's by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu who's stellar reputation as an amazing composer proceeds him.

After nearly two decades this game may be showing its age somewhat but it's still one beautifully crafted, tightly scripted and expertly woven RPG that provides that player with an incredibly rewarding experience. If you're a fan of the series or just the genre in general and have yet to play this masterpiece then do yourself a favour and pick it up for you won't be disappointed.

Verdict : Final Fantasy in fighting fit formation.

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!

Sam Gittins
[email protected]

Looking for reviews on other Virtual Console games? Or a full list of games available on the system? Then Check out our Virtual Console Index Page.