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At the end of Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, the barbarian rescued Princess Mariana from the clutches of the evil Drax, having slaughtered hordes of accomplished warriors. Much merryment followed. Drax, however, escaped the barbarian's vengeance, and fled to the deepest depths of the dungeons beneath his black castle, vowing to avenge himself against the entire Jewelled Kingdom - and end a personal vendetta with the barbarian and Mariana.

There is only one way to stop Drax. Both heroic characters - each an expert sword bearer - must travel to Drax's lair and put an end to the sorceror's plans. Only they are skilled enough to survive the treacherous journey and the terrors of his den. Their quest takes them through volcanic wastelands and underground caverns to the dungeons of the castle and the inner sanctum of Drax himself.

You are given the choice of playing Princess Mariana or the famed barbarian. Both carry formidable weapons; the warrior wields a mighty battle axe, and the princess swings a finely-honed sword.

Both are capable of a variety of offensive and defensive moves. Injuries reduce energy, displayed in the top right-hand corner of the screen. When this drops to zero, one of five lives is lost. Each of the four levels is populated by a series of grisly monsters. Saurian beasts, Neanderthal men, apes and mutant chickens in The Wastelands give way to Stabbers and Floaters, orcs, giant grubs, pit things and ray-shooting eyes in the later stages. Battles with a huge tentacled mutant and an aggressive red demon are a prelude to the final confrontation with the evil Drax himself. Calculatedly well-placed strokes reduce their energy to zero though some monsters can be despatched by a well-aimed head-severing blow.

Each level consists of a maze of approximately 29 screens to be explored with the aid of a sword compass display at the bottom of the screen. Treacherous holes and pits can be avoided by jumping. Falling down into the abyss results in instant loss of life.

Exploration is sometimes halted by locked doors to which the appropriate keys must be found. Other objects give extra energy and resistance to attack, while the jewel and shield give protection against the Living Idol and the Demon. The globe guards against the fatal effects of the spells Drax casts. Once collected, all objects are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Prepare for the epic quest ahead: hostile monsters and strange lands await you. Grip your trusty battle axe and steel yourself for some horrific action: only the Barbarian and Princess Mariana can win the day...

The original Barbarian was renowned for its gore, but Barbarian II is even more horrific!

The simple one-on-one fight format has given way to a game featuring some hideous creatures that do the most foul and disgusting things to our heroes. The pit monster, for example, regurgitates warriors' skulls, having dragged their owners, kicking furiously, into its gargantuan jaws to crunch within its dark hollow.

All this blood-curdling action is depicted in the form of some beautifully defined and realistically animated sprites cavorting about against extremely atmospheric backdrops.

The Barbarian himself looks thoroughly convincing, muscles flexing with every swing of his axe. The sound is of a similarly high standard, with a wealth of hacking, thudding and crunching spot effects the Dungeon Master's laugh is particularly impressive).

It's easy to get involved in the violent gameplay due to the amazing characterisation of the various nestles. On more than one occasion, I've found myself shouting at a monster, blaming him for my current position!

If you're into a bit of binary bloodshed, I can wholeheartedly recommend shelling out for Barbarian II. Now, where's my battle axe...?

Anyone that has any taste for binary violence in their blood will warm to the attributes of Barbarian II. Never has such a wealth of blood and guts been thrown across a monitor screen! The programmer's imagination must have been working over time to create monsters of such a gruesome appearance, and the attention to graphical detail is phenomenal.

The players' characters are stunningly defined and animated, hacking their way through screens of equally impressive enemies. All of the four levels are well-programmed and designed, each having its own particular atmosphere.

Barbarian II is packed with humorous (if somewhat unsavoury) touches, such as the Saurian Beast that gulps the player's head, or the tentacled pit-monster that drags the unwary warrior into its gaping jaws. It really brings out the worst in you!

I must admit that when a creature's head is removed with a swift chop, there's a good deal of satisfaction. If Barbarian appealed to your sicker nature, then Barbarian II is a must!

The first game in this series was very well received and despite some controversy over the sexist Maria Whittacker packaging, was instantly recognised as the best beat-'em-up on the Commodore. The Dungeon Of Drax is more than equal to its predecessor. Despite a reduction in the number of attacking moves, the exploration element makes it much more playable than the original. The graphics are on the blocky side, but colourful, atmospheric and well defined, and some great animation gives a very pleasing overall visual effect.

The sound effects, too, are top quality, using the same type of sample-like sound heard in Palace's Cauldron II and The Ultimate Warrior. Anyone who enjoys beat-'em-ups of any style will love Barbarian II and can be assured of money well spent. It's even better than Barbarian I!

Presentation 91%
Clear screen layout, responsive controls and choice of character.

Graphics 95%
Well defined and animated, with both horrific and humorous sequences.

Sound 92%
Realistic and amusing effects generate a very compelling atmosphere.

Hookability 96%
Violent action mixed with exploration elements prove immediately attractive.

Lastability 94%
With four varied levels and 21 enemies to face, hours of enthralling play are on offer.

Overall 96%
By far the best (and goriest) beat-'em-up and an excellent sequel to Barbarian.