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Games of mindless violence seem to be all the rage among the computer software world, so Melbourne House have released an equally aggressive 'follow up' to the highly successful Way of the Exploding Fist in the form of Fighting Warrior. Unlike Fist though, Fighting Warrior actually has a scenario...

Set in ancient Egypt, the story revolves around two separated lovers. The hero of the piece is the fighting warrior of the title and he has fallen head over heels in love with the princess Thaya. Unfortunately she has been kidnapped by an evil Pharaoh and locked away within a remote temple. Understandably, the fighting warrior is somewhat miffed at the Pharaoh's actions and so decides to set off across the wastelands to find, and eventually release, his beloved.

The route to the temple is a hazardous one, plagued with many mythological demons and demi-gods. And as he's so brave, the warrior's only weapon is a sword. The creatures of the desert are set upon defending their territory as were those slain many years ago. To defeat them it requires a great deal of accurate sword strokes.

The authentic Egyptian scenery of pyramids and the like, scrolls slowly past as the warrior progresses. Both he and any opponents have a limited amount of stamina and victory must be achieved without exhausting himself. For each blow successfully landed, the victim's energy bar, displayed beneath, is depleted by a notch. Once these are exhausted, the player's life is lost and on losing all five lives the game ends.

There are many different beasts to be fought and these vary quite a bit, although in general they are humanoid with weird heads. This kind of monster is equipped with the same type of sword as our hero and wields it in a similar way. Overgrown pussy rats and dragon-like beings are best approached with caution - especially the latter, because although unarmed, they have a rather nasty line in crippling body kicks. And hitting back isn't that easy, as the beast wraps its leathery wings around itself in defence. The cat merely mauls.

As the warrior gets nearer to his goal, the nasties get nastier and many of the different attackers use slightly different tactics.

When a beast dies and its bones disintegrate to mingle with the desert sand, a pot-like object materialises. These are rumoured to possess mystical powers and are activated by giving them a good whack with a sword - though it's not guaranteed that any effect will be beneficial. Missing the pot always results in a decrease of stamina.

If the warrior finally reaches the temple, he must contend with the Pharaoh's magicians -- in the habit of draining intruders of their energy. Only when these evil beings are defeated and the princess is free of her bonds, has the fighting warrior accomplished his mission. The reward for failure however, is death.

Way Of The Exploding Fist had spectacular graphics and sound but some fairly weak gameplay elements. Unfortunately, Fighting Warrior only carries forward the latter attribute - both graphics and sound are as bland us the game itself. The sprites may be large, but they are on the whole, crude in their definition. The backdrops are competent but the overall use of colour is just... Ugh! The main problem with the game is that there is such little variation and it soon becomes a chore to play. Fighting Warrior is something of a momentary lapse for Melbourne House, but hopefully it won't happen again.

I must admit to being disappointed with Melbourne House's 'follow up' to the classic Way of the Exploding Fist. The gameplay is similar but in many ways limited when compared to Fist. The graphics fall down due to the unimaginative choice of colour scheme - the overall effect is very muddy because of this. Generally, a very disappointing game.

This is a real disappointment after Way Of The Exploding Fist. The graphics are indistinct and the characters are poorly defined and coloured. The sound is very repetitive and the game is just as monotonous. As there are only three ways to bash your opponent with your sword, the game soon begins to drag. Also, the fact that you have to keep fighting the same characters over and over again makes things even duller. Overall the game seems rattier rushed, which is unfortunate as Fighting Warrior has a lot of potential. A dull and barely average piece of software.

Presentation 60%
Poor appearance and a couple of options.

Graphics 66%
Large, coarse, reasonably animated sprites and very poor use of colour.

Sound 57%
Authentic but irritating tunes.

Hookability 53%
An easy, but uninteresting, game to get into.

Lastability 32%
Low lasting appeal due to very monotonous gameplay.

Value For Money 41%
Would be better off competing against budget software.

Overall 45%
A below average game of gratuitous violence.