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In a word: brilliant! If you've never had the pleasure of an encounter with Drax before, don't waste any more time. Go out and get this brilliant arcade adventure and start running him to ground right now.

At the end of the first Barbarian outing, the warriors of Drax were ousted by our hero and the Princess Mariana was freed from Drax's evil spell. However, the bad guy himself managed to do a disappearing act into his dungeons.

As a result, you must choose to play as either Barbarian or Mariana and go get him. Set over four breathtaking levels, the first three maze-like scenarios must be played in order, before you can confront Drax in person.

The three levels consist of the Wasteland, the Caverns and the Dungeons, each containing around 28 confusing screens. Keep your eye firmly on the compass at the bottom of the screen, or you could find yourself wandering around in circles for some time.

On each level, there are six underworld beasts to see off, and two magical items that need to be collected if you want to stand any chance of doing away with Drax at the end.

So, make sure you've mastered the complex fighting manoeuvres and be prepared to meet up with the likes of the Saurian Beasts, the Giant Grubs and the Slithering things on your quest.

Starting off with five lives, the beasts form a formidable army for the novice, so make sure you collect any life-giving skulls you find along the way. These are the remains of the warriors who went before you. Be warned!

If you happen to find the exit to a level before you have collected all of the available magical objects, a warning light will flash. At this point, the best thing to do is to get a pencil and make a note of where the exit is, before heading back into hot water to get your wares.

Having survived the first three deadly levels, your next adversary is the dreaded Living Idol, a Giant Demon. Survive that and it's on to Drax himself. It's all up to you. Good luck.

Barbarian II is a stunning example of an arcade adventure, featuring some superb backdrops and atmospheric sound effects.

Some of the monsters are truly hair-raising and, although many of them can be dealt with by one swift chop, try experimenting with the more complicated combat moves, as these will earn you valuable bonus points.

If you do happen to win through as either Barbarian or Mariana, try it with the other character and see how well you do in this excellent offering, Jam-packed with variety, Barbarian II will have you on the edge of your seats at all times. Go to it, Barbie!