Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax

Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax is a 1988 action game from Palace Software, designed by Steve Brown with music by Richard Joseph. It was released for the Amiga, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and other systems, and in North America as Axe of Rage.

Gameplay

After the first game’s one-on-one duels, Barbarian II becomes an exploration-based beat ’em up. You play the barbarian or Princess Mariana, pursuing the evil wizard Drax.

• Two heroes: Play as the barbarian or the princess.
• Four areas: The wastelands, caves, dungeon and Drax’s inner sanctum.
• Flip-screen rooms: Explore room by room.
• Combat: Four attack types against 20 creature types.
• Lives: Collect skulls for extra lives.

The animation was based on Eadweard Muybridge’s motion photographs and is very fluid. Its cover, featuring model Maria Whittaker, caused controversy.

Verdict

Barbarian II is a well-animated, atmospheric action game. Zzap!64 gave it 96%, though later reviewers felt it aged badly. It’s a nostalgic classic for 8- and 16-bit fans.