Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax

Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax (a.k.a. Axe of Rage in the U.S.) is the sequel to Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior. It was developed and published by Palace Software in 1988 originally for MSX, ZX Spectrum, and Commodore 64.

The following year it was released for many other platforms, including the Amiga. This sequel adds a few enhancements and new enemy challenges, but Barbarian II is solo-play only, unlike the original.

Choosing either the Princess or the Barbarian, you pick the story from where the first one left off. You are after the Wizard Drax, whom you had thought you vanquished in the first game. It would be best to travel deep into his dungeon to find his lair. In this action fantasy game, you will encounter various enemies you must battle using different combat moves. Each enemy will require a different strategy to take down. There are also plenty of environmental hazards to watch out for.

The game garnered praise for its sound and realistic character animations upon release. Though there were a few complaints about the controls, it got overall high scores. Fans of the original Barbarian will want to play this one, as well as fans of the genre itself.