I've searched it for a long time and eventually written it: JJ2 series overview. I'd be glad if you validate all the information below.

Jazz Jackrabbit 2

• basic version of the game
• developers:
  • Epic Games
  • Orange Games
• publishers:
  • Europe: Project Two Interactive
  • U.S.: Gathering of Developers
• release date: 1998-07-31
• engine version: 1.20 (can be upgraded to 1.23)
• episodes:
  • Formerly a Prince - 6 levels
  • Jazz in Time - 6 levels
  • Flashback - 6 levels
  • Funky Monkeys - 6 levels
  • Shareware Demo - 3 levels
  • Home Cooked Levels - user's levels
• episodes in shareware version:
  • Shareware Demo

Jazz Jackrabbit 2: Holiday Hare

• christmas add-on
• release date: 1998 (only in U.S.)
• engine version: 1.23
• episodes:
  • Holiday Hare ‘98 - 3 christmas levels (evening, night, day)
  • Shareware Demo

Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files

• easter add-on
• release date: 1999 (only in Europe)
• engine version: 1.24
• Lori available
• episodes:
  • The Secret Files - 9 levels
  • Home Cooked Levels
• episodes in Polish version:
  • The Secret Files
  • Formerly a Prince
  • Jazz in Time
  • Flashback
  • Funky Monkeys
  • Shareware Demo
  • Home Cooked Levels
• episodes in shareware version:
  • The Secret Files Demo - 2 levels taken from The Secret Files episode
  • Shareware Demo

Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Christmas Chronicles

• European version of Holiday Hare ‘98
• release date: 2001 (only in Europe)
• engine version: 1.24
• Lori available
• episodes:
  • The Christmas Chronicles (or: Holiday Hare ’98)
  • Home Cooked Levels

Thanks.

There needs to be a Home Cooked Levels episode in every single version here (aside from shareware ones and HH98). The release version of 1.20 shareware is 1998-04-09. This also needs the overviews of the beta versions, which I could make sometime soon.

Other than that, this is a nice overview. Good job.

Correct me if I'm wrong on what's below, it's been a while.

I would say that the TSF shareware information is incorrect. The shareware itself wasn't ever released by a company, rather the game itself came with an executable that was intended as a shareware. This was later uploaded to the internet by Alienator(?) and distributed on community websites. I don't think it's really a European release only in this case.

HH98 isn't America only, I got it in a Scholastic Book Club Catalogue in 2000, and I live in Aussie.

Yes I got HH98 somehow in Australia..

Let's just say it looked familiar to my folks..

So I've changed it a bit. I hope it's less confusing on shareware versions now.

From ERE:

Jazz Jackrabbit 2: Holiday Hare ‘98 was only released in the United States, but also formed the basis for the European add-on Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Christmas Chronicles, (...)

And I'm going to put it soon on Wikipedia.

Remove the original 4 episodes from The Secret Files, and the Shareware Demo, and you'll be fine. TSF was meant as an add-on, but was turned into a seperate game instead with its own .exe file instead of a patch (Same goes for Christmas Chronicles). The initial release did come with the full version JJ2 for free on a seperate CD, that's the one I got. There's also a Polish version that had the two games combined if i'm not mistaken.

And you may want to add this little tidbit of info: TSF and Christmas Chronicles came with a collection of User Levels, TSF had the best User Levels at the time (chosen by Steven Wakeman of Jazz2City) and Christmas Chronicles had contest entries of the Easter Level Contest, held at the release of TSF by the now defunct Project 2 Interactive.

- JelZe GoldRabbit =:3

Nope, Polish TSF includes only 1.24 version, with all the basic episodes, TSF episode, Shareware Demo episode, about 60 user-made levels from the internet and an episode that might look like Holiday Hare '98, but it appears to be a single battle level using night HH98 tileset (forgot the name). The CD also includes a few demos of L.K. Avalon's games and a patch fixing 3 user levels.

Separated normal and Polish version of TSF.