Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon

Last updated: January 10, 2026

Overview

Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon is a puzzle-solving adventure game developed by French studio Coktel Vision and published by Sierra On-Line in 1992.¹ As the second entry in the beloved Gobliiins series, the game continues the franchise’s tradition of combining cartoon-style humor with challenging cooperative puzzles, though this time players control only two goblin characters instead of three—hence the reduction of one “i” in the title.² The game was released across multiple platforms including MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh, with an iOS port arriving in 2011.³

The game maintains the series’ reputation for whimsical, surreal puzzle-solving while introducing new mechanics that allow players to travel between rooms and give orders to both characters simultaneously.⁴ Critics praised its visual style and soundtrack, with Amiga Power describing it as “a flawed diamond of a game, the visuals and soundtrack making it worthy of its own TV slot.”⁵ Despite having one less character to control, reviewers noted that the game remained just as challenging as its predecessor, with Adventure Classic Gaming observing that “if you think that having one less character to control makes the game considerably easier, however, you will be sadly mistaken.”²

The Gobliiins series earned recognition for its unique visual identity, largely attributed to artist Pierre Gilhodes, whose distinctive cartoon aesthetic defined the franchise.⁶ The game represents an important chapter in Coktel Vision’s catalog and Sierra’s publishing portfolio during the golden age of adventure gaming.

Game Info

Developer: Coktel Vision¹ Designer: Pierre Gilhodes, Muriel Tramis³ Publisher: Sierra On-Line¹ Engine: Gob⁷ Platforms: MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh, iOS³ Release Year: 1992 Series: Gobliiins Protagonist: Fingus and Winkle Sierra Lineage: Sierra Published

Story Summary

The kingdom faces a crisis when a foul fiend kidnaps Prince Buffoon, the son of King Angoulafre.⁸ The culprit is Amoniak, a powerful demon lord who has spirited the prince away to his castle of Domenic.⁹ With the royal heir in grave danger, two unlikely heroes step forward to undertake the perilous rescue mission.

The protagonists are Fingus and Winkle, two goblins with dramatically contrasting personalities.¹⁰ Fingus is described as “well-mannered, intelligent and shy,” an introvert who is polite and good with machines.¹¹ Winkle, by contrast, is characterized as “dumb enough to not know how to push a button in the first screen, but who is almost terminally brave.”¹⁰ Despite their differences—or perhaps because of them—they are the only goblins actually crazy enough to volunteer for this dangerous adventure.¹²

The journey takes Fingus and Winkle through seven different worlds, each filled with bizarre inhabitants and mind-bending puzzles.⁸ Along the way, they encounter a wise man named Modemus, who provides guidance for their quest—though his name is only revealed in the game manual.² As the goblins progress through these killer kingdoms, they must combine their unique abilities and work together to overcome obstacles that neither could face alone.

The story reaches its climax as Fingus and Winkle finally confront Amoniak in his domain. Near the end of the game, players even gain limited control of Prince Buffoon himself as part of the final rescue efforts.⁹ The tale is told with the series’ trademark cartoon-style humor, creating what promotional materials described as “an incredible adventure filled with hilarious jokes all taking place in a cartoon-type atmosphere.”¹³

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Gobliins 2 employs a point-and-click interface that allows players to control both goblin characters, switching between Fingus and Winkle as needed to solve puzzles.¹⁴ The game uses a simple interaction system where players select a character and then click on objects or locations in the environment to perform actions.¹⁵ A notable improvement over the original game is the ability to give orders to both characters simultaneously, enabling complex timing-based puzzles.⁴

The interface includes a “Joker” hint system accessible via the top main menu, which provides sketchy solutions for the current location when players become stuck.¹⁶ This feature helps mitigate the game’s notorious difficulty, though hints are limited in number. The CD-ROM version enhanced the experience by including full voice acting throughout the entire game, replacing the “goblinish” gibberish sounds of the floppy version.²

Structure and Progression

Unlike its predecessor, Gobliins 2 allows players to travel between rooms within each area, expanding the puzzle-solving possibilities.⁴ The game consists of numerous screens organized across seven distinct kingdoms, with many regions taking up several screens that players must navigate back and forth.¹⁷ Progress is made by solving puzzles in each area, unlocking access to new regions as the goblins advance toward Amoniak’s castle.

The game structure includes:

• The Village – Initial area introducing the characters and mechanics¹⁸
• The Fountain – Puzzle area with water-based challenges¹⁸
• The Giant’s Domain – Encounters with oversized creatures¹⁸
• The Wizard’s Tower – Magical puzzles and the wise man Modemus¹⁸
• The Trench – Obstacle-filled passageways¹⁸
• The Guards’ Area – Encounters with Amoniak’s minions¹⁸
• Amoniak’s Castle – Final confrontation and rescue¹⁸

Puzzles and Mechanics

The core gameplay revolves around coordinating the two goblins’ different abilities to solve environmental puzzles.¹⁴ Fingus, being the intelligent and careful goblin, excels at puzzle-solving and mechanical tasks, while Winkle’s reckless nature and brute force approach provides different solutions to obstacles.¹ Both goblins can pick up and use items, but crucially, “both generally use an item in different ways.”⁴

Teamwork is essential to success. As Amiga Power noted, “to complete the puzzles you need to work out which task is suited to the temperament of each goblin.”⁵ This creates a unique dynamic where players must experiment with having each character interact with the same object to discover the correct solution. The game also features timing puzzles that require careful coordination between the two characters.⁴

A significant departure from the original Gobliiins is the removal of the health bar system—“the goblins are blessed with an extraordinary vitality, they cannot die.”¹⁹ This allows players to experiment freely without fear of permanently failing, though incorrect actions can still block puzzle progress. The puzzles are described as featuring “a lot of scenarios where things must be done EXACTLY right or you get no hint that it was the right thing to do.”²⁰

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Gobliins 2 received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising its visual style, humor, and challenging puzzles while occasionally noting the steep difficulty curve. Amiga Action awarded the game an impressive 88/100 in January 1993.²¹ The consolidated Amiga Reviews score reached 84%, while Amiga Power gave it 78%, calling it “a flawed diamond of a game.”⁵

Computer Gaming World praised the game for its “challenging puzzles, sharp-witted entertainment, and enhanced ease of use” in their August 1993 coverage.⁴ Dragon magazine’s reviewers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser awarded the game a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in issue #190.²² Powerplay magazine gave more modest scores of 70% for the PC version and 69% for the Amiga and Atari ST versions.²²

Reviews consistently highlighted both the game’s strengths and its demanding puzzle design. The Home of the Underdogs retrospective warned readers: “Don’t let the game’s cartoony style fool you, though: this is one difficult game—controlling one less goblin (hence the missing ‘i’ in the title) doesn’t make it any easier.”²³ They concluded by recommending the game “for puzzle experts or anyone with infinite patience only.”²³

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives continue to view Gobliins 2 favorably, with appreciation for its unique charm and puzzle design. Adventure Classic Gaming awarded the game 4 out of 5 stars (Very Good) in a February 2010 review, concluding that “Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon is a worthy successor to Gobliiins. Despite giving you control of only 2 characters instead of 3, the game still offers plenty of challenging and occasionally frustrating puzzles.”²

User reviews on preservation sites demonstrate enduring affection for the game. One enthusiastic reviewer on Downloads Khinsider proclaimed it “One Of the BEST old school adventure games ever!! Awesome GFX and play! I mean it! Totally undernoted, but really kicks major a$$.”¹⁸ Games Nostalgia compiled editorial reviews showing an aggregate score of 81/100 based on 8 reviews.²⁴

Aggregate Scores:

• MobyGames: 7.5/10³
• IMDB: 8.0/10²⁵
• MyAbandonware: 4.57/5 (user rating)²³
• Lemon Amiga: 8.26/10 (user rating)²⁶
• DOSGames.com: 4.5/5²⁷
• Games Nostalgia: 81/100 (editorial aggregate)²⁴

Development

Origins

The Gobliiins series was created by Coktel Vision, a French game development studio known for producing distinctive adventure games throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.²⁸ The original Gobliiins (1991) established the core concept of controlling multiple goblin characters with complementary abilities, with the number of “i”s in the title cleverly indicating how many characters players would control.²² The success of the first game led to the development of this sequel, which streamlined the gameplay to two characters while maintaining the series’ signature charm.

Pierre Gilhodes, who “became a graphic artist at a very early age,” was instrumental in defining the visual identity of the series.²⁹ His distinctive cartoon aesthetic gave the Gobliiins games their immediately recognizable look and contributed significantly to their appeal. Gilhodes worked alongside Muriel Tramis, another key figure at Coktel Vision, to design the gameplay and puzzles.³

Production

Coktel Vision, described as a studio that “already produced quality adventure data in the mid-1980s,” brought their experience to bear on Gobliins 2.¹⁶ The development team sought to refine the formula of the original while addressing some of its limitations. The decision to reduce the character count from three to two was accompanied by the addition of new mechanics, including the ability to travel between rooms and give simultaneous orders.⁴

The game was developed for multiple platforms simultaneously, with versions created for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST.³ The Macintosh version also released in 1992. M.D.O. is credited alongside Coktel Vision for development work on certain versions.³ Copy protection for the game involved “a color graph with reference codes” that players needed to consult.³

Development Credits:³²¹

• Designer: Pierre Gilhodes
• Designer: Muriel Tramis
• Composer: Charles Callet
• Additional Design: R. Lacoste (Amiga version)
• Additional Design: E. Maguet (Amiga version)

Technical Achievements

The game utilized Coktel Vision’s proprietary “Gob” engine, which powered multiple titles in their catalog.⁷ The engine supported 256-color VGA graphics at 320x200 resolution, delivering the detailed cartoon visuals that defined the series.⁹ The visual style drew comparisons to television animation, with Amiga Power noting the graphics and soundtrack made it “worthy of its own TV slot.”⁵

The CD-ROM version represented a significant technical enhancement, adding full voice acting throughout the game in place of the floppy version’s gibberish “goblinish” speech.² However, this version used much of the same music from the original Gobliiins rather than entirely new compositions.² The game also functioned as an audio CD when inserted into a standard CD player, allowing players to listen to the soundtrack outside of gameplay.³⁰

Technical Specifications

DOS Version:⁷⁹

• Resolution: 320x200, 256 colors (VGA)
• Audio Devices (Music): AdLib, Pro AudioSpectrum, Sound Blaster³¹
• Audio Devices (Sound): AdLib, PC Speaker, Pro AudioSpectrum, Sound Blaster³¹
• Minimum RAM: 2 MB⁸
• Minimum CPU: Intel 386 16 MHz or better⁸
• Install Size: 2.7 megs (11 files)⁹
• Media: 2x 3.5” 1.44MB HD diskettes or 3x 5.25” 1.2MB HD floppy disks, or CD-ROM⁹

CD-ROM Version:³⁰

• Media: 2 x CD, Enhanced
• Languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish, German
• Additional Features: Full voice acting, audio CD functionality

Amiga Version:⁵

• Memory Requirement: 1 MB
• Media: 3 disks
• Audio Device: Paula chip³²

Windows Requirements (Modern Digital):⁷

• OS: Windows XP minimum
• CPU: 1 GHz
• RAM: 256 MB
• Storage: 80 MB
• GPU: DirectX 7 compatible

Cut Content

The Amiga version reportedly had some content differences compared to other platforms, though specific details of removed material are not extensively documented.³³ The CD version is noted to have censored some nudity present in the original floppy release.³⁴

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Region	Notes
1.0	1992	DOS, Amiga, Atari ST	Europe	Initial release3
1.01	1992	DOS	Germany	German release23
CD-ROM	1992-1993	DOS	Multi-region	Added voice acting2
V10	October 20, 1995	DOS	France	Sierra Originals compilation30
1.03	-	DOS	-	Reported to work in DOSBox35
1.1	2009	PC	-	Updated version36
iOS	2011	iPhone	Worldwide	Mobile port by Bulkypix3

Regional Release Dates:³¹

• Italy: 1992
• UK: 1992
• Spain: 1992
• USA: February 10, 1993

Technical Issues

Several patches were released to address compatibility issues with the game on faster systems and various hardware configurations:³⁷

• Gobliins Patch (GB2PAT) – 113 KB, fixes graphics problems on faster systems
• Gobliins German Patch (GOB2DK) – 113 KB, fixes graphics problems on faster systems
• Gobliins Patch (GOB2CD) – 122 KB, fixes problems with sound cards and CD-ROM drives

Users attempting to run the CD version in DOSBox have reported synchronization issues between audio and video during cutscenes.³⁸ One common issue involves the game freezing after the wizard’s prologue, with the screen fading to black and remaining unresponsive.³⁵ The floppy versions are reported to work more reliably in emulation.³⁸

Modern preservation efforts through Sierra Help Pages note that CD ripping programs may hang after copying 100% of the audio track on Windows Vista and Windows 7, though closing the ripper command window allows the installer to continue.³⁹

Easter Eggs and Trivia

The game contains several hidden details and amusing touches that reward observant players:

• Fingus’s Whistling: When left idle, Fingus will whistle a short tune, with a different melody in each room of the game.²²
• Character Colors: Winkle is the blue goblin, while Fingus is the green goblin—though interestingly, the cover art depicts Winkle as orange rather than his in-game blue/purple coloring.²⁰⁴⁰
• Button Behavior: Fingus will always press the button on the left side of any interface, while Winkle will always press the button on the right, reflecting their distinct personalities.²
• Title Pun: The number of “i”s in “Gobliins” directly indicates how many goblin characters the player controls—three in Gobliiins, two in Gobliins 2, and one in Goblins 3.²²
• Inca Trailer: The CD release contains a shortened trailer for Inca, another Coktel Vision game.⁴¹

Voice Cast

The CD-ROM version featured full voice acting throughout the game, replacing the “goblinish” gibberish of the floppy version.² However, specific voice actor credits are not documented in available sources. The original disk version featured full speech in “goblinish, a gibberish of sounds coming out in a voice appropriate to the character in question.”³³

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

While specific sales figures for Gobliins 2 are not documented in available sources, the game’s success is evidenced by its inclusion in various compilations and re-releases over the years. The Sierra Originals budget line released a combined Gobliiins 1 & 2 package in October 1995, demonstrating the franchise’s ongoing commercial viability.³⁰

Collections

The game has appeared in several compilation releases:

• Gobliiins 1 & 2 Sierra Originals (October 20, 1995) – European budget release on 2 CDs with multi-language support (French, English, German, Spanish, Italian)³⁰
• Gobliiins Trilogy – Various digital compilations on platforms like GOG²⁴

Fan Projects

The Gobliiins series has maintained a dedicated fan following. The game is fully supported by ScummVM, the open-source adventure game interpreter, allowing it to run on modern systems without DOSBox.¹⁶ Series creator Pierre Gilhodes returned to develop Gobliiins 4 (2009) and Gobliiins 5 (2023), the latter created using Adventure Game Studio and released independently through itch.io and Steam.⁴²

Related Publications

• Game Manual – Included character descriptions and copy protection information; notably the only place where the wise man Modemus is named²
• Walkthrough Solutions – Multiple community-created walkthroughs document the game’s intricate puzzles²⁶

Critical Perspective

Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon represents a significant refinement of the formula established by the original Gobliiins. The decision to reduce the character count while expanding world navigation options demonstrated Coktel Vision’s willingness to iterate on their design rather than simply produce more of the same. The game exemplifies the creative adventure game design that French developers brought to the genre during the early 1990s.

The series occupies a unique niche in adventure gaming history—distinct from the narrative-driven Sierra and LucasArts adventures of the era, the Gobliiins games focused primarily on puzzle mechanics with minimal story interruption.⁴⁰ This pure puzzle approach, combined with the inability to die, made the games more accessible in some ways while their fiendish puzzle design made them formidable challenges. As one retrospective noted, the games are notable for their “comical humor, crafty puzzles, reactive scenes and well-drawn animations.”⁹

Modern adventure game enthusiasts continue to discover and appreciate the series, with the games regularly appearing on lists of classic titles worth revisiting. The franchise’s influence can be seen in later cooperative puzzle games, and Pierre Gilhodes’ commitment to continuing the series into the 2020s speaks to the enduring appeal of these whimsical goblin adventures.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
• GOG – Available in Gobliiins Pack

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – Demo Version
• MyAbandonware
• Games Nostalgia

Manuals & Extras

• Lemon Amiga – Walkthrough

Series Continuity

Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon is the second game in the Gobliiins series, following the original Gobliiins (1991) which established the franchise’s core mechanics of controlling multiple goblin characters with complementary abilities.⁴⁰ While the original game featured three goblins named Hooter, Dwayne, and BoBo (or Oups, Ignatius, and Asgard in European releases) dealing with King Angoulafre’s magical madness, this sequel introduces completely new protagonists—Fingus and Winkle—on a fresh adventure to rescue the king’s son.⁴³

The series continued with Goblins Quest 3 (1993), which further reduced the character count to a single playable goblin named Blount, though he could temporarily transform into other forms.³³ The franchise lay dormant for many years until Pierre Gilhodes revived it with Gobliiins 4 in 2009, returning to the three-character formula.⁴⁰ Most recently, Gobliiins 5 released in 2023, featuring three elves working cooperatively and continuing the series’ tradition of whimsical puzzle-solving.⁴²

• Previous: 1991 - Gobliiins
• Next: 1993 - Goblins Quest 3

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon (Atari ST) – game description, developer, publisher, character information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Adventure Classic Gaming – Gobliins 2 Review – review score, gameplay analysis, trivia about Modemus and button behavior ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

3. MobyGames – Gobliins 2 (General) – platforms, release dates, credits, ratings ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

4. Wikipedia – Gobliins 2 – gameplay mechanics, Computer Gaming World quote, character abilities ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. Amiga Reviews – Gobliins – Amiga Power review quotes, scores, technical specifications ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. All The Tropes – Gobliins 2 – Pierre Gilhodes contribution, platforms ↩

7. PCGamingWiki – Gobliins 2 – Gob engine, technical specifications, system requirements ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. Adventure Gamers – Gobliins 2 Walkthrough – system requirements, promotional description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

9. Lilura1 Blog – Goblins Games – technical specs, install size, resolution ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

10. Academic Encyclopedia – Gobliins 2 – character descriptions for Fingus and Winkle ↩ ↩²

11. Play Classic Games – Gobliins 2 – character personality descriptions ↩

12. Gamer Walkthroughs – Gobliins 2 – walkthrough introduction quote about Fingus and Winkle ↩

13. Internet Archive – Gobliins 2 Demo – promotional description ↩

14. Walkthrough King – Gobliins 2 – gameplay description ↩ ↩²

15. DOSGames.com – Gobliins 2 – interface, resolution ↩

16. Jefklak’s Codex – Gobliins 2 – Joker hint system, Coktel Vision history, ScummVM support ↩ ↩² ↩³

17. Play Classic Games – multi-screen regions ↩

18. Downloads Khinsider – Gobliins 2 Soundtrack – track listing, user review quote ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

19. Sierra Chest – Gobliins 2 Walkthrough – goblins cannot die quote ↩

20. The Spoiler – Gobliins 2 Solution – difficulty description, character colors ↩ ↩²

21. Web Archive – MobyGames 2008 – Amiga Action score, release information ↩ ↩²

22. Gamicus – Gobliiins – Dragon magazine review, Powerplay scores, easter eggs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

23. MyAbandonware – Gobliins 2 – user rating, HOTUD review quotes, DOSBox support ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

24. Games Nostalgia – Gobliins 2 – aggregate score, version information, reviewer quotes ↩ ↩² ↩³

25. IMDB – Gobliins 2 – IMDB rating ↩

26. Lemon Amiga – Gobliins 2 Docs – user rating, walkthrough ↩ ↩²

27. DOSGames.com – review score ↩

28. Sierra Gamers – Gobliins 2 – series context ↩

29. Web Archive – Gobliiins.com Author Page – Pierre Gilhodes biography ↩

30. Discogs – Gobliiins 1 & 2 – CD release details, audio CD functionality, languages ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

31. VGMPF – Gobliins 2 DOS – audio devices, regional release dates ↩ ↩² ↩³

32. VGMPF – Gobliins 2 Amiga – Paula chip, music information ↩

33. MobyGames – Goblins Quest 3 – goblinish speech description, series information ↩ ↩² ↩³

34. Retrogames.cz – Gobliins 2 – CD version censorship ↩

35. VOGONS Forum – Gobliins 2 DOSBox Issues – version compatibility, black screen issue ↩ ↩²

36. GameFAQs – Gobliins 2 – 2009 version update ↩

37. Sierra Help – Gobliiins Series Updates – patch information ↩

38. VOGONS Forum – Coktel Vision Games – CD version sync issues, DOSBox compatibility ↩ ↩²

39. Sierra Help – New Sierra Installers – Vista/Windows 7 CD ripping issues ↩

40. TV Tropes – Gobliiins – series overview, cover art discrepancy, title pun explanation ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

41. Sierra Chest – Goblins 1 & 2 – Inca trailer inclusion ↩

42. Pierre Gilhodes itch.io – Gobliiins 5 – Gobliiins 5 information, Adventure Game Studio ↩ ↩²

43. MobyGames – Gobliiins (Atari ST) – original game information, character names ↩