Barbarian

Copyright : Palace Software | Reviewed by : Scooby1970

The evil sorcerer Drax desires Princess Mariana and has sworn to wreak an unspeakable doom on the people of the Jewelled City unless she is delivered to him. However, he has agreed that if a champion can be found who is able to defeat his demonic guardians, the princess wil be allowed to go free. All seems lost as a champion after champion is defeated.

Graphics

The first thing you get when loading up the game is a choice of 4 options (1&2 Practise Options - different backdrops, 2&3 Game Options - different backdrops.) underneath some stunning writing which says the name of the game.

The game loads and you have to select either DEMO (which I never used) or MODE?s 1,2 or 3. These modes relate to 1 or 2 player games, and the first option I always went for was the two player option, where with a group of friends we would battle it out to see the greatest Barbarian of all.

The graphics are some of the best and most detailed ever to be produced on the Amstrad, and even though they look abit blocky today, they still stand the test of time. The animation of the characters is pretty impressive, and the little effects like the blood shooting from a dismembered head is really quite gruesome.

Sound

Theres a lovely tinkery tune that plays in the background of the options, and all the sound effects within the game are very effective. You?ll hear some lovely blades hitting each other and some great "swoosh" effects.

Gameplay

The best think about the game is the gameplay. In two player mode this game is absolutly amazing, and even stands up when played today. The one player mode is also great, however the game gets quite hard after the second and third levels. Defintily best played with a friend or two around.