single-player, with most of them citing the artificial intelligence as the reason. Harald Wagner of PC Games described it as occasionally being seemingly overwhelmed to the point that it will unintentionally hit its own worms instead, but also remarked its skill in ballistics. Nevertheless, he considered the AI to be the only disappointing element affecting the overall impression of the game. However, the Italian magazine Games for My Computer insisted that the AI was balanced, instead citing the simple campaign lacking various objectives as the drawback. The game's new visuals were also largely well received upon release. Gambler praised the visuals as well as the sound effects, saying that they brought "a lot of life" to the game. Andy Martin of PC Zone also thought that the higher-resolution graphics gave the game "character", whilst saying that the gameplay makes up what the visuals lack, although he complained about the limited field of view and the inability to zoom out. Conversely, Laurent Sarfati of Joystick criticised the visuals as being cute and the worms' animations as being "tasteless" and "for snotty 3- to 6-year-olds". He also found that apart from the new graphics, expanded options, and the ability to play online, players of the first Worms game risk finding the sequel worthwhile. The visual style would reappear in two subsequent sequels: Worms Armageddon and later Worms World Party. The style continues to retrospectively receive critical acclaim due to its association with Worms Armageddon, normally considered the best title in the Worms franchise. PCmanía considered Worms 2 to be one of the 100 essential programs of 1997, remarking its achieved feat of having high levels of both simplicity and addictiveness. In 1998, PC Gamer US declared it the 30th-best computer game ever released, acclaiming what they called an original and addictive blend of action and strategy genres, as well as the humour. The editors named it the best turn-based strategy game of 1998, writing, "Worms 2 serves as evidence that sometimes a genre's salvation can be found in the unlikeliest of places". It was a finalist in the magazine's Best Multi-Player Game category, which ultimately went to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. It was also a runner-up for IGN's Best Online Game of the Year award in 1998, lauding its destructibility and powerful weapons. On its "Game of the Century" column in 2000, PC Powerplay ranked it the 42nd-greatest game for its variety