<s>
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Pumpkin	I-Application
Strikes	I-Application
Back	I-Application
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
British	O
developer	O
Palace	O
Software	O
as	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
their	O
1985	O
game	O
Cauldron	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2D	O
platform	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1986	O
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
home	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Cauldron	B-Application
,	O
Palace	O
employee	O
Steve	O
Brown	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
the	O
bouncing	O
pumpkin	O
character	O
in	O
Cauldron	B-Application
,	O
Brown	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
around	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Cauldron	B-Application
,	O
the	O
protagonist	O
was	O
a	O
witch	O
who	O
became	O
the	O
"	O
Witch	O
Queen	O
"	O
by	O
defeating	O
an	O
enemy	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
Pumpking	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
witch	O
's	O
castle	O
,	O
and	O
players	O
control	O
the	O
pumpkin	O
,	O
moving	O
it	O
through	O
the	O
2D	O
game	O
world	O
that	O
is	O
shown	O
as	O
side	O
views	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contact	O
with	O
an	O
enemy	O
drains	O
the	O
pumpkin	O
's	O
magic	B-Application
meter	I-Application
that	O
also	O
fuels	O
the	O
protagonist	O
's	O
offensive	O
projectiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
Cauldron	B-Application
in	O
1985	O
prompted	O
Palace	O
Software	O
to	O
produce	O
a	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brown	O
first	O
drew	O
inspiration	O
from	O
the	O
final	O
scene	O
of	O
Cauldron	B-Application
:	O
the	O
witch	O
's	O
fight	O
against	O
the	O
Pumpking	O
,	O
which	O
bounced	O
around	O
a	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intended	O
to	O
mimic	O
a	O
bouncing	B-Application
ball	I-Application
,	O
the	O
pumpkin	O
's	O
movement	O
could	O
change	O
direction	O
only	O
if	O
force	O
is	O
applied	O
to	O
it	O
while	O
it	O
is	O
in	O
contact	O
with	O
a	O
surface	O
that	O
provides	O
friction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cauldron	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
game	O
world	O
,	O
the	O
witch	O
's	O
castle	O
,	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
resemble	O
Palace	O
Software	O
's	O
logo	O
as	O
an	O
advertising	O
tactic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Palace	O
Software	O
developed	O
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
for	O
three	O
home	O
computers	O
:	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
for	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
in	O
1989	O
by	O
Telecomsoft	O
under	O
its	O
Silverbird	O
budget	O
label	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
also	O
re-released	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
compilation	O
title	O
for	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
magazines	O
Crash	O
and	O
ZX	O
Computing	O
awarded	O
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
their	O
top	O
accolades	O
:	O
"	O
Crash	O
Smash	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Monster	O
Hit	O
"	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
Cauldron	B-Application
,	O
praise	O
from	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
press	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
graphical	O
quality	O
,	O
and	O
criticism	O
directed	O
at	O
the	O
gameplay	O
was	O
mixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
reviewer	O
Paul	O
Boughton	O
praised	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
audio	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
versions	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
limited	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Crash	O
magazine	O
reviewer	O
lauded	O
the	O
audio-visuals	O
of	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
and	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
offered	O
more	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	O
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
described	O
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
difficult	O
,	O
but	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
accomplishment	O
gained	O
from	O
successful	O
completion	O
outweighed	O
the	O
negative	O
aspect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
commercial	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
Cauldron	B-Application
games	O
prompted	O
Palace	O
to	O
give	O
Brown	O
more	O
creative	O
freedom	O
for	O
his	O
following	O
project	O
,	O
Barbarian	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
.	O
</s>
