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The greatest one-on-one combat game of last year was undoubtedly Palace's Barbarian. The brilliant gameplay combined with the vivid graphic violence (such as the bloody decapitation sequence) ensured huge popularity and a ban by the German government! The tremendous success of Barbarian made a sequel inevitable, and here it is, imaginatively titled Barbarian II: The Dungeons Of Drax.

Barbarian II takes over from where its predecessor left off. The evil sorcerer Drax was defeated by the Barbarian when he attempted to kidnap the voluptuous Princess Mariana, he was banished to a dark and dreary cave on the outskirts of the civilised world. Word has it that Drax is once again hatching a devious plan to put himself back in power, and so the Barbarian has been ordered to journey out to Drax's lair and destroy him for good.

Unlike the original, which was a simple one- or two-player combat game, Barbarian II is a large arcade adventure with combat elements. The dungeons of Drax are split into four separately loaded levels, each consisting of just over 25 screens (apart from the last which is a mere three screens long). The Barbarian has been redefined since the last game and now wields a large battle-axe. Moving from location to location is simply a matter of walking off the side of the screen, when it is replaced by the next. Barbie (as he is known around the office) can also move 'into' the screen via specific gaps in the scenery behind him.

Of course Barbie can't just move around the dungeons as easily as that. Drax's minions lurk around every corner and all have orders to kill him on sight.

Fighting is essentially the same as the original game too, with an array of combat moves such as leg chop, kick and the infamous flying neck chop all available. When a creature is finally defeated, achieved by relentlessly whacking it with the axe until its energy is depleted, it dies in any of a series of hideously gory ways that would make even a video nasty fan wince! The shuffling triffid-like monsters are decapitated in a spray of blood and the heart of the chubby dungeon guard is ripped out of his chest and bounces across the floor in vivid detail.

Another impressive death sequence takes place when the troglodytes, the dragons and various creatures are totalled. The ground opens up and the monster explodes in a cloud of green smoke which is then sucked down into the crevasse, accompanied by a marvellous sampled thunderclap.

Between the stints of furious fighting there is maze searching to be done; keys must be found along with extra weapons such as shields, which help to provide added resistance to attack.

And all this must be done while avoiding the dungeon's inanimate perils which come in the form of lava streams and gaping bottomless pits which immediately cost Barbie a life if he strays too near and falls in. Jumping at the right time is the key to passing these pits, and even then there's a chance of a large tentacle shooting out from the pit and pulling you down!

Drax lies at the end of the final level and is protected by two huge ravenous monsters. If Barbie can get past both of these he can take on Drax head-to-head. Drax puts up a very good fight, and if he can be killed...

Barbarian was great, but Barbarian II is even better. It's taken the original combat formula and improved it no end with the addition of the arcade adventure elements. The problem with the original Barbarian was that you could only fight other human opponents, and the whole thing could get rather 'samey' after a long while.

The huge array of different nasties just waiting to pick fights with you solves this problem. Each creature has its own specific attack pattern, and so each one must be dealt with differently. there's a lot to be learnt before any kind of proficiency is achieved. The graphics are of a high standard, and although some of the animation on certain sprites can at times be jerky, the bright colours and excellent definition compensates adequately.

There are loads of sampled 'ooh's, 'aargh's, grunts and wails of pain to accompany. the action, and the four levels are big enough to keep even the most hardened gamer going for quite some time. Definitely worth a look.

Barbarian II is currently being converted by Richard Leinfeliner, the man behind the original Amiga Barbarian and the conversion of the Shoot 'Em Up Construction Kit. Work is going well and it should be released sometime before Christmas. Expect to see a few minor graphic differences and to hear some beefier sound samples, but otherwise things will mostly stay the same. Watch this space next month for a full update.