Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax
Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax is a video game first published in 1988 for various home computers. It was released as Axe of Rage in North America. The game is the sequel to Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (Death Sword in North America), which was published in 1987. In Barbarian II, the player controls a princess or barbarian character, exploring the game world to locate and defeat an evil wizard. The game's plot is an extension of its predecessor, although the gameplay is different. While the first game offers two players the opportunity for virtual head-to-head combat, the second is a single-player beat 'em up with fewer fighting moves. It uses a flip-screen style instead of scrolling.
| Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax | |
|---|---|
C64 box art with Maria Whittaker and Michael Van Wijk | |
| Developer(s) | Palace Software |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Steve Brown |
| Programmer(s) | Rob Stevens |
| Artist(s) | Jo Walker Steve Brown |
| Composer(s) | Richard Joseph |
| Platform(s) | Acorn Electron, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | August 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Palace Software, the developer of the two Barbarian games, marketed the sequel with the same strategy they used for the first game. They hired Maria Whittaker, a model known for her topless work, to pose on the cover and posters as the princess in the game, attempting to recapture the controversy that had boosted sales. Barbarian II received a mixed critical reception. Reviewers were split in their opinions over whether the game was a refreshing and gory adventure, or a boring and lonely sojourn through a confusing digital world.