Cosmic Causeway: Trailblazer II Longplay (C64) [QHD] @AL82RetrogamingLongplays
Cosmic Causeway: Trailblazer II Longplay (C64) [QHD]  @AL82RetrogamingLongplays
Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Game Info
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Developer: Mr. Chip Software
Publisher: Gremlin Graphics
Year of Release: 1987

Game Review & Impressions
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Shaun Southern created some great games for the C64, one of the most technically impressive being Trailblazer. It was awarded a lofty 93% in Zzap!64 magazine, which meant the pressure to deliver was well and truly on with the sequel, Cosmic Causeway.

Much like the original Trailblazer, the purpose of the game is to guide your rolling ball along interstellar causeways of multicoloured tiles, leaping over holes and avoiding other hazards to reach the finish line within the allotted time limit. This is far from simple, thanks to the tiles which can cause your ball to speed up, slow down, jump uncontrollably, rebound, or otherwise fall through the platform into the infinite void below. However, the sequel introduces new tiles, hazards, and a shooting mechanic of sorts where your ball automatically starts shooting blue orbs to destroy waves of strange alien-like creatures when they appear on-screen.

Perhaps the most significant addition is the introduction of power-ups that bestow beneficial abilities on your ball for the duration of the current level. These cost varying amounts of credits, which can be earned by running over the flashing white spheres located in certain levels, or as a reward for destroying end-of-level guardians. The purchasing of abilities can only occur at the start of each level whilst your ball remains in the grey zone, and since there's no way to stop your ball moving completely, you have a limited amount of time to decide on which power-ups to purchase. You also have to know what each icon in the bottom right of the screen actually means, then wait for corresponding item to light up before you can purchase it. Possibly the most useful of these is the ability to roll over black tiles without fear of falling through the grid, which can make levels with vast expanses of void pretty trivial.

From a technical point of view, the game still looks really impressive. The "rolling road" routine used to scroll the grid, not to mention the rolling ball itself, are brilliantly done. My only criticism are the various raster glitches when the screen is at a standstill -- you simply cannot see these when the game is motion, so it's less of an issue.

As to whether you'll enjoy Cosmic Causeway will largely depend on whether you enjoyed the original Trailblazer or not. This is a really difficult game, demanding exceptional timing, reactions, not to mention a ton of patience. Those would probably have been more plentiful back when we were children, but for those of us in middle age and beyond, maybe not so much. As for Zzap!64, the reviewers were suitably impressed with the game, again awarding it 93% - a score I reckon it deserves.

Chapters
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00:00 Title music (full loop)
02:20 Level A
02:44 Level B
03:06 Level C
03:44 Level D
04:04 Level E
04:54 Level F
05:22 Level G
06:06 Level H
06:37 Level I
07:21 Level J
07:46 Level K
08:36 Level L
09:04 Level M
09:57 Level N
10:34 Level O
11:16 Level P
11:45 Level Q
12:30 Level R
13:07 Level S
13:39 Level T
14:09 Level U
14:57 Level V
15:20 Level W
16:05 Level X
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Cosmic Causeway: Trailblazer II Longplay (C64) [QHD]

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