Starglider II

Starglider 2 a 3D space combat simulator developed by Argonaut Software initially for the Amiga and published in 1988 by Rainbird. It was also released on the Atari ST. Later, the game was ported to DOS and Macintosh and it was converted to 8-bit for the ZX Spectrum. A Commodore 64/128 version was canceled, unfortunately.

Unlike its prequel, Starglider II uses filled polygons instead of wireframe graphics, but it has similar gameplay, it's just bigger and better. Starglider II is a true masterpiece. You can go and explore the universe, you can visit planets and fly through their underground tunnels. You will have to fight and trade to collect items that will be required to accomplish your mission (I'm not going to spoil). Starglider II can be considered a precursor of Freelancer, but it has the same freedom of Frontier: Elite II.

The Amiga version contains sampled music from the amazing soundtrack composed by Dave Lowe, known for the music of Elite, Frontier, Street Fighter II, Railroad Tycoon, and many more. The game included a short story by novelist James Follett that introduces players to the main story of the game. If you really want to play Starglider you will have to read it.

Starglider provided a very good reason to buy an Amiga in 1988, and almost 30 years later, it's a game you need to try.