Jaleco Entertainment has today announced that it's working on Nightcaster II: Equinox, an Xbox-exclusive sequel to Nightcaster , which was released in January. Arran, the hero from the first game, returns for the sequel, along with his wife, Madelyn, who teams up with her husband for the new two-player cooperative mode. In single-player mode, players will be able to choose between the two characters, although it's not yet clear whether they'll have different abilities or weapons.

　　As was the case in the original game, Nightcaster II will allow players to employ both of the Xbox controller's analog sticks so they can move in one direction while firing in another. Players will have access to more than 30 different spells, and as they progress through the game, they'll be confronted by more than 35 different enemy types, including goblins, trolls, dragons, and four boss characters.

　　"Truth be told, it is very hard to compare the first game with Nightcaster II," said Jaleco Entertainment producer Adam Maxwell. "Everything, even the game's environments, which are now lush and alive with custom shader effects and bump and specular mapping, has been given such a drastic overhaul that the two games don't really compare. This team has been working since the day Nightcaster shipped to create a new gaming adventure. Our one goal has been to make a game that is countless times better than the original."

　　Nightcaster II is currently scheduled for release in North America in December and in Europe in the first quarter of 2003. We'll bring you more information on the game as it becomes available.