Some games just never seem to die. I don't mean this in a particularly nasty way, but nostalgia has a habit of bringing back games that have had their time to shine and, by now, have been explored in many interesting and exciting ways. Space Inversion 2 by Silverline Arts takes another swing at Space Invaders, adding a few modern touches to spruce up the old girl in to something not only presentable, but entertaining enough to spend more time with this classic title.

For those not intimately familiar with the formula, you're presented with a rather simple proposition: Defend Earth from an invading army that moves back and forth across the screen, slowly shifting down each time they hit the edge and speeding up as their numbers decrease. To punch up the gameplay a few modern additions have been added in to Space Inversion 2, notably the inclusion of power-ups and bonus stages along with speedier enemies and more shots from your ship to account for the increase in challenge. Players can weave back and forth shooting invaders using one of several control schemes (the usual mix of touch, swipe and tilt), though more interestingly players can choose between manual, semi-automatic and automatic firing for those who want to either experience things in a classic way or to prevent themselves from breaking their finger from tapping the screen too fast.

The addition of power-ups such as double-shots, shields and piercing 'super' shots liven up the gameplay by making it easier to speed through the early stages of a level or to hit the lightning-quick enemies left at the end, but ultimately the game feels much the same as it always has. Alternate modes such as 'Classic' and the in-game purchasable modes of 'Turbo' and 'Bonus' provide exactly what you'd expect from their names, but aside from occasionally spending 30+ seconds dodging asteroids or shooting UFOs the appeal for Space Inversion 2 is its polished presentation.

Ordinarily players are given two basic themes (Retro and Retro+), with Tech and Neon themes being available in the 'expansion' pack. Each theme features vibrant 2D graphics backed up with special effects and a pumping electronic soundtrack to make popping Invaders more appealing. The inclusion of retro sound-effects helps to tie the package together.

Ultimately, Space Inversion 2 is a juiced up version of Space Invaders. This wouldn't be so bad if it Taito hadn't already done a better job with Space Invaders Infinity Gene. Still, if you crave the classic shooter with a few bells and whistles, this might just hit the spot.