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Death Adder, that numero uno bad guy, has kidnapped the King and Princess of Yuria. Your mission - should you decide to accept it - is to battle your way through the hordes of barbarians, Amazons, skeletons, giants and other Lord of the Rings rejects, until you reach the head honcho himself; then gently persuade him (by repeatedly hitting him, of course) to let the hostages go.

Each player (and there can be two) chooses one of the three characters available, then it's on with the mayhem. The enemy troops come in groups of up to four or five, and increase in their toughness and ferocity. At the end of each stage, the obligatory boss rears his ugly head - if there's only one of them that is! Always huge, always deadly, they'll all seem like a soggy paper bag when you finally reach Death Adder himself.

Luckily, the good guys use a variety of moves in combat to slice 'n dice their way to the showdown. Along with a standard chop or slice, jumping gives the opportunity for a vicious blow to be delivered on the way down. Another favoured tactic is to charge enemies and use a bone-crunching headbutt or kick to knock the opponent off his or her feet.

Climbing on the back of a beastie gives any character (be it the player or an opponent) a big advantage in combat. Your typical two-grade dinosaur (shown here) can spin around to whack any opponent with its tail, and can also jump about.

The second best beast is a small dragon that breathes fire at the ground in front of it - giving a severe suntan to anyone in they way. The top-notch dragon is similar, but it can shoot fireballs over a long distance, crisping all and sundry.

So... saddle up and kick butt!

Magic plays an important part in the game. Blue potion bottles are collected by kicking pixies in the rear, and the more gathered the more devastating the spell will be. Each character's magic is different in its form and effect - Gilius has lightning power, Ax-Battler can create earthquakes and Tyris can call down devastating firestorms.

But remember - the power soon runs out so don't waste it!

The three characters in the game each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Gilius Thunderhead, the dwarf, is very strong and can deliver a powerful headbutt, though he's a little slow and his magic is not too effective.

Ax Battler, the barbarian, can wield his sword to devastating effect, and his magic is more powerful than Gilius' too.

Tyris Flare is an Amazon sensibly clad in an armoured bikini, and has the best magical abilities; she's also the most agile of the three. However, she's not very resilient - hardly surprising considering she's only half-dressed! [I don't know, disgusting, young people today! - Ed]

Golden Axe was always a superior coin-op, and this home version is a terrific clone. Apart from the slightly smaller screen and the tinny sound effects, there's hardly anything between this and the Megadrive version - it's that good!

This game offers everything a homicidal lunatic could ever want, so obviously it's been a big hit here in the C&VG offices! The animation of the sprites is unbelievably good: the figures, move, fight and walk in exactly the same way as the original, and the superb backgrounds add a great deal of atmosphere and excitement.

It's one of the best two-player games around, and my only hesitation is over its lastability; it's not hard to complete, and after that, interest in the game will wane dramatically.

Still, it's hugely enjoyable and graphically stunning, so if you've got an ST, this one has got to be on your Christmas list!