Deer Hunter II: The Hunt Continues

Deer Hunter II: The Hunt Continues is a first-person hunting simulation developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks in 2000 for Windows 95/98. It is the sequel to the phenomenally successful Deer Hunter, a game that surprised the industry by topping sales charts despite basic graphics and limited interactivity. Deer Hunter II addresses many of the original's shortcomings, introducing full 3D first-person perspective, free movement across expansive outdoors environments, and a greatly expanded arsenal of weapons and hunting gear.

The simulation models deer behavior more realistically: animals respond to wind direction, scent, and sound, and will bolt if they sense danger. Players must track their quarry, use calls and lures, and maneuver for a clean shot. The reward is a trophy mount, with the game encouraging repeated play to bag bigger and rarer bucks. Multiple hunting locations provide visual variety, though the core loop remains one of patience and stillness.

The game shipped with a sparse jewel-case manual that, surprisingly, included cheat codes. Its system requirements were modest, though the advertised 3Dfx acceleration support was reportedly broken at launch, causing crashes when enabled. Technical support required a long-distance phone call, a source of frustration for some users.

Despite critical complaints that the game was too slow-paced and lacked conventional 'fun', Deer Hunter II was a commercial success, cementing the hunting simulation genre's place in PC gaming.