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Take two medieval heroes and kit them out with swords, shields, and a sound knowledge of the mystic arts. Now you've got what must rank as a couple of the most powerful forces for good known in the world!

Rather mysteriously, these heroes have been warped to the depths of the deepest dungeon in the land, and the only form of escape available involves doing battle with the host of meanies that infest each dangerous level.

The aim of each level is simply to find the exit in the eight-way scrolling maze. Not surprisingly, the legions of undead minions intend to make things a bit more difficult by knocking points off of your health counter. If this reaches zero, it's goodbye cruel world or "Game Over", depending on how you want to look at it.

Other hazards are presented by the maze itself. The dungeon is full of the likes of locked doors (which need keys to open) and both false and disappearing walls. But making the escape attempt a bit more rewarding are the masses of treasure chests found around the maze. Simply by blasting them open you reveal the goods, which are collected on contact. Other goodies, in the form of potions and power-ups are also located around the labyrinthine passages.

There are countless other mysteries to be uncovered in the Gauntlet II dungeon. The question is, will you survive long enough to solve them all and make good your escape?

Although Gameboy Gauntlet II can't deal with four players simultaneously like the Atari coin-op, two players can link up their Gameboys and indulge in simultaneous two-player action.

This does have an advantage over the coin-op though as you both aren't restricted to the same screen, so you're free to wander off as you please!

1. Thor
   This warrior type has excellent shot power and good armour, but his magic is a tad lacking.
2. Merlin
   His awesome mystical abilities give him great shot power and magical prowess, but he is naked in the armour department.
3. Questor
   This elf is fast on his feet, with good magical abilities. However, his armour and shot powers are only average.
4. Thyra
   Thyra's Valkyrie shield absorbs a lot of damage and her magic smart bomb is good too. Fast on her feet, only her shot power lets her down.

Somehow, the programmers of this conversion have packed in all the graphics, sound effects, speech and playability of the coin-op! The end result is stunning - a black and white mini-replica of the original arcade machine!

The action is addictive and fun, even more so with two players where you can both wander about independently! If you're a Gameboy owner, Gauntlet II is a must.

What a great conversion! All of the arcade features have been squeezed into this Gameboy version, even down to the speech!

Gauntlet II is instantly recommended, although you'll have plenty more fun if you can persuade a mate to buy the game and thus take part in some duel-player thrills and spills!