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Come back with us to a time of dragons and ogres, of fierce warlords and oppressed peoples, of blood and combat. A time for warriors, a time for heroes, a- (Er... OK luvee, thats super. Could we go again, but a bit louder this time?) Sure. Ahem... COME BACK WITH US TO A TIME OF DRAGONS

That Death Adder... he's a bit of a lad, innee? Not content with stealing the legendary Golden Axe of Yuria (leaving the poor townsfolk at the mercy of rampaging bandits) he's also gone stomping around, kiling people for the fun of it. Just ask the axe-wielding dwart, Gillus Thunderhead - Death Adder bumped off his brother. Or the gorgeous, large-breasted amazon, Tyris Flare, who lost both parents to the wrath of the Titan warlord. Or the barbarian Ax Battler, whose mother got in the way when the anti-social Mr Adder came to town. It's not surprising then, that these warriors all have an axe to grind (groan) with ol' Death baby. They want him dead, the people of Yuria want him dead, just about everybody wants him dead... so what are you waiting for? There's no good pretending that you don't know what comes next: select your character, press that fire button and go kick some butt!

The only way to free the land and people of Yuria from the vile clutches of Death Adder is to pay a visit to his temple hideaway - and kill the geek. Easier written than done, though: the journey to the temple is a hard slog from your home in the forest, through Turtle village, across Eagle island and up to Death Adder's front room.

Word must have gotten out about your intended meeting with Death -his cronies are out and about and after your blood. As you tread the treacherous path to DA's domain, you'll confront all manner of assailants: ogres with clubs, soldiers with spiked maces, Amazonian warrioresses astride fearsome fire-breathing dragons, giants with warhammers, skeleton soldiers, huge armoured knights and, of course, Death Adder 'imself. Phew!

To protect yourself, you have a number of hack 'n slay moves at your command: at close quarters it's simply a case of hammering that fire button to swipe, slash and kick your opponent! The more athletic combatant can also opt for the flying kick, the spectacular jump 'n slash or the downright show-offy 'pile driver' - leap into the air and stab your enemy through the top of the head... Gruesome, but ever so effective. You can also mount one of the sleeping dragons you find lazing about, spur him into action and breathe fire on your attackers. How d'you like your ogres? Fried or roasted?

This pretty much sets the scene for the rest of your crusade. Unlike the original, you only have to contend with single opponents at a time (which is fine by me!), but hacking through the army of skeletons on the final stage does grow a bit tedious - especially as it takes loads and loads of hits to actually defeat each skelly. There's no running away from this battle either: you still can't continue until each adversary lies dead at your feet, and the flashing 'GO' symbol signals that it's time to move on.

The land of Yuria is nicely represented by a smart landscape which scrolls smoothly past as you machete your way though the enemy. The scenes are very nicely drawn and the palette is switched at intervals so that the colour scheme remains faithful(ish) to the original: at the very least, you are treated to some wonderfully low-key, atmospheric and downright spooky backdrops

Your character starts off with five lives, each of which is made up of three blocks. Every time you're downed, a block disappears. Once all three have gone, a whole life is lost. However, there's a continue option and you can steal some extra life force. Blue, and green-clad dwarves scurry on at intervals, clutching bags of magic potions and food. Give these guys a swift kick in the rear or swipe of your blade and they'll drop their booty and scurry off.

Food adds another segment to your life meter, while potions go to boost your magic powers. A counter displays the number of potions collected and, correspondingly, the power of your magic.

When you're in need of assistance, smack the space bar to unleash your elemental powers on Death Adder's chums. If they aren't killed outright, they'll be feeling very poorly after a quick dose of lightning bolts, dragonfire or mushroom cloud explosions!

Other than the single player one-on-one gameplay, Golden Axe has survived the conversion pretty much intact. The nasties are still big, fast, and as vicious as ever. Death Adder doesn't throw his fireballs any more but he's still pretty sharp with that chopper! There are some nice sampled screams and the converted Sega soundtrack sounds better than ever!

If you fancy a taste of cold steel on warm flesh, prod yourself in the arm with a fork... er, no. Better still, buy Golden Axe.

Your quest is set over five days, and progress across the land of Yuria is represented between levels by a map. Starting from the scenic woodlands of the Forest, you yomp through to the Turtle Village - aplty named as it happens, for it resides on the back of a giant turtle which ferries you across the river to the Fiend's Path. This takes you onto the back of a giant eagle who flies you to the balcony your final destination: Death-Adder's temple abode.

1. Amazing animation on all the characters, especially the huge giants and the dragons.
2. Clever joystick control.
3. Smart sampled screams and a ripping soundtrack give the lug-holes a real treat.
4. Superb arcade-style presentation, with intro portraits, character selection screen and between-level animated map.
5. Gorgeous magic effects.
6. Beautifully detailed coloured and smooth-scrolling backdrops.
7. As accurate a conversion as possible - a definite plus point for fans of the original.

1. Single player only and just the one attacker at a time
2. Later, combat grows pretty repetitive.