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Palace's classic slicin' 'n dicin' game caused quite a stir when it was released this time last year, and the sequel looks set to follow in its footsteps.

There can't be many who don't remember the extensive advertising campaign that heralded the product - Palace cleverly used pictures of a very scantily-clad Maria Whittaker to promote their game, which whipped up considerable public debate. The game itself is brilliant; a very gory one-on-one sword fighting game featuring such delights as blood spurts, a fabulous decapitation sequence and an obnoxious little green hunchback who boots about the severed heads of the defeated. Needless to say, it caused an outrage when it appeared and, because of that, sold in vast quantities.

Later on 16-bit versions were released, sporting similar gameplay, but incredible sampled groans and screams - and of course improved graphics.

Barbarian II bears some similarities to its prequel; it features the same characters, and has the same graphic style and sick humour of the original, but the gameplay is sufficiently different. Basically it's an arcade adventure; there's still plenty of bloody fighting action, but the essence is on locating and picking up the right objects to complete the mission.

The plot is very straightforward: the Barbarian has freed Princess Mariana from the clutches of Drax, the evil sorcerer, who has fled to his dark castle and fifteen currently plotting his revenge on the Jewelled Kingdom. He must be stopped, and the only people capable of doing so are the Barbarian and Princess Mariana.

At the start of a game the player chooses either Princess Mariana or the Barbarian. She is armed with a death-dealin' sword, while he brandishes a stonking great axe - ideal for hacking apart any undesirables. Both have similar fighting abilities and can perform a variety of attacking moves, including a front kick, head chop and the deadly flying neck chop, which often has spectacular results. The hero can heroine can also run and jump, which is useful for crossing the pools of green slime and bottomless pits that are frequently encountered.

The player starts the quest with five lives, each with a set amount of energy, represented by a bar at the top of the screen. As hits are sustained, the bar shrinks, and if it diminishes entirely, a life is lost. A life is lost outright if the player falls into a pit.

The action is set over three flick-screen levels, each of which has 28 screens. The player can move left or right onto the next screen, or 'into' the screen when a door or cave entrance is present. As the player progresses through a level, the direction he walks constantly changes; fortunately, there's a compass at the bottom of the screen to avoid confusion and make mapping easier. The objective on each level is to locate and pick up two different objects. When both items have been collected the level is completed, and the next one loads from cassette.

The Wasteland outside Castle Drax is the first port of call; an inhospitable landscape inhabited by a very nasty range of creatures. Pink, bald mutant chickens attack an intruder by pecking at knee height, but can be swiftly killed by a few swipes of a sword or axe. Worse are Stabbers, green bipeds which have a sharp knife protruding from their stomachs. Saurian Beasts, apes, and Floaters also make an appearance, but by far the most deadly are the Neanderthal men who stomp about the landscape armed with skull-caving clubs.

Next comes the Dungeon; a dark, dank and dangerous place. Here, carnivores roam, ready to wrestle a hapless adventure to the ground and rip at the throat with its sharp fangs. Green, skinny Orc guards maraud about with their swords at the ready, and cave trolls prove hardy foes in combat. There are also scuttling crabs, slithering things and scorpion-like stingers to keep the player on his toes.

Finally there's the Dungeon, a maze of doors, pits and highly dangerous creature. Giant grubs, floating eyes and aptly-named gobblers provide the least of worries; the pit monsters on the other hand are very dangerous. These purple horrors lurk in pits and reach up and grab anyone who tries to leap over, dragging them down to their doom. Players of Barbarian I should recognise the Orclets - they're little green hunchbacks with wicked grins and a peculiar affinity for kicking about severed heads - only this time they're armed with axes and it's your head they want!

The great, fat, Dungeon Master also makes an appearance, and kicks and punches as soon as the player draws near.

When the two dungeon objects are collected, the player enters the Sanctum of Drax, a three-screen-long room where a Living Idol and giant fire-breathing Demon lie in wait. On the final screen Drax himself appears... and it's kill or be killed.

Barbarian II is an incredible-looking game. The graphics are absolutely superb, with amazing sprite animation and visual effects. There are so many neat touches, like the skull being spat out when a pit monster drags the player down, and the Dungeon Master's heart dropping out when he's on the receiving end of a flying neck chop - gore fans will certainly enjoy the action! The sound effects are very good too, particularly the Dungeon Master's laugh!

The game itself is both enjoyable and challenging, with plenty of mapping and hacking required to defeat Drax. That, coupled with the brilliant visual presentation and choice of characters results in a game that'll keep you hacking long into the night.

If you're fed up with blasting aliens and want some real action, look no further than Barbarian II.