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The original Barbarian from Superior Software/Palace was a smash hit in 1988 with its exciting hand-to-hand combat, superb graphics and grunts, groans and clanging of sword against sword. Two features made it stand out from the crowd - the scantily clad Maria Whittaker on the box and adverts) though nothing was said of the equally scantily clad male), and the graphic depiction of the unfortunate warriors being decapitated. In the sequel, BARBARIAN 2: THE DUNGEON OF DRAX, both features are retained.

Load up the game and you'll be presented with a picture of a dungeon with two warriors standing either side of a burning brazier. This screen heralds the first of the changes from the original game - you can choose to be either the barbarian of the title or the Princess Mariana. I tried both, but couldn't distinguish any difference in combat ability.

After choosing your warrior the rest of the game is loaded. The action takes place in the bottom half of the screen while a large Barbarian 2 banner lies just above the play area and an information strip is at the very bottom. In this a sword on top of a shield always points north and a scroll shows the current level plus your score.

Each of the first three levels consists of around 28 screens and you can walk left or right or through a cave to the next location. There's no scrolling, and each new screen flicks up fairly rapidly. The first level is the wastelands, the second the caverns and the third the dungeon.

The object is to make your way to a certain location on one of the 28 or so screens. Your first problem is to hack and slash your way through the monsters which inhabit each screen. These include dinosaurs, furry two legged beasts, cavemen, chickens and other creatures which defy description.

Apart from the monsters, the other main obstacle is the way the screens are mapped. For instance, if you walk left off once screen you can appear on the right of the next or at the mouth of a cave also on the right. In the heat of the battle it's very easy to become confused about which way you are facing. The sword-compass always shows which direction is north.

There are objects to collect which will help you in your mission to destroy Drax. An axe increases your strength, a globe guards against Drax's magic, a potion increases your strength, a shield guards against the demon's fiery breath and so on.

The number of fighting moves has been reduced to four and I found that just one or two were required to kill the opponents. The hard part is finding the right location to take you to the next level and the fighting aspect takes up a smaller proportion of the action.

The graphics and animation are excellent and the gory decapitation scene is still here. The sound effects add to the atmosphere and the whole game is professionally produced. Barbarian 2 is an excellent sequel to the original hack and slash cut-'em-up combat game as this version has more depth, better graphics and improved sound. If you liked Barbarian you'll like this too.

* * * Second Opinion (By Janice Murray) * * *

I was disappointed by Barbarian 2's lack of fighting manoeuvres - it's what made the original so good. However, I welcome the new exploring and mapping aspect, plus the collectable objects, and these features add more depth of gameplay. If you're on the lookout for a new combat challenge Barbarian 2 fits the bill quite nicely.

Roland Waddilove