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According to the instructions, legend tells of a mystical land of fantasy and magic, of goblins and hosts... and Ghosts 'N Goblins just about sums up Beyond The Ice Palace. Yes, once again, Capcom's classic formula has been exhumed and reanimated.

The scenario is straightforward enough; the player takes control of a blonde-haired goody two-shoes who's decided to take on the evil forces of the forest single-handedly and banish them from whence they came. This arduous task involves negotiating a multi-directionally scrolling landscape of platforms and ladders, and tackling such delights as a flying dragon (in a situation that is not entirely unlike the end sequence of Ghosts 'N Goblins), an evil witch and a load of fat bouncing sumo fatties (well, that's what they look like to me).

At the beginning of a game the hero can pick up any one of three weapons. Each is different, and vary from a totally useless mace which is lobbed at oncoming adversaries to a swift 'n nifty sword, just right for slicing open some evil monster's gizzard. To even the odds, there are also two forest spirits at your disposal which may be summoned in times of stress to destroy all creatures on-screen. In practice, I found this floating grinning visage completely useless, as it seems to drift along leaving everything unscathed!

Once you've selected a weapon it's time to start the quest proper, and this is when you find out that the gameplay is infuriating. Creatures leap out from nowhere, giving you absolutely no chance to react, and I've even had one appear on top of me! Another irksome factor is experienced when climbing ladders; the sprites don't always scroll on with the screen and suddenly pop up from nowhere, again causing instant death. This sort of hit and miss playing becomes incredibly annoying, and the fact that you start with nine lives is little compensation; you can play one game and go through several levels without loss of live, and on the next lose them all before you even get past the first hurdle.

Another gripe is the death sequence. When blondie gets it from some ugly hulk, he keels over and his 'spirit' floats away. It's very nice, but wastes time and interrupts the flow of the game, especially when you consider how many times you die.

It's a shame these annoyances are present, as they really bring the game down. All other aspects are fine; the backdrops are colourful, the sprites are beautifully drawn and animated (especially the hero), and the soundtrack is atmospheric, but as it stands, Beyond The Ice Palace falls just short of its potential.