These are versions of the game that have been released to the public. There are of course other releases such as pirate copies/compilations and preview/demo copies in which various aspects of the game may be different, some of which may be found listed in the Collectables section.

"An ancient evil has broken free, and is spreading over the land of Rune. You must lead the Shining Force into battle to recover the stolen jewels and seal the Door to Darkness. The Kingdom of Granseal is depending on you!"
  - from the Shining Force II box.

Shining Force II is more free-roaming than the original Shining Force, as it doesn't use chapters. You're free to go back to any town during the game, assuming you have a way to get there and that there are no obstructions. It doesn't follow directly from Shining Force as far as storylines go, in fact it's really a story in it's own right. That being said, the story is connected to that of the original Shining Force through various aspects of Shining Force Gaiden Final Conflict.

For some reason, Shining Force II is often referred to as "Shining Force II: Return of the King", but I've found no evidence as to why this might be. The Japanese sub-title for it clearly translates to "Ancient Sealing" or "Seal of the Ancients".

You play Bowie, a young swordsman who must prevent the evil Zeon from awakening and rescue Princess Elis from the mad King Galam. The story is somewhat stereotypical, but the graphics, sound, comic moments and oodles of gameplay more than make up for that!

It's especially nice to be able to backtrack through the game (although this can lead to confusion as to where you should be going next), as there are no chapters splitting it up as there were in the original Shining Force.

The game introduces a few new features, such as the Caravan, in which you can story many items, you can have less than 12 members in your team if you want to, and finally you no longer have to select the "talk" option to talk to someone - just walk up to them and press C.

If you need help with the game, my Ultimate Shining Force II Guide is quite highly regarded, and many have told me it's the best they've seen - so, why not check it out?