Previous Next

It's good news for fans of one-on-one beat-'em-ups this month, with Kixx releasing both Street Fighter and this controversial game from 1988. It was controversial because (a) it had a mildly suggestive picture of the infamous Maria Whittaker on the box (strangely missing from this version) and (b) because it was thought by some people to be excessively violent (the central scene involves a decapitation sequence, with blood spurting fro the neck of the defeated warrior).

It all seems like a bit of a storm in a teacup these days, perhaps because the C64-like blobby graphics couldn't possibly upset anyone any more, or perhaps because it's such an average game that it just isn't worth getting worked up about.

As there kind of things go, it's quite good gun, and certainly a lot better than Street Fighter, with good sound, some nice humorous touches and a fair degree of challenge.

Any game in this field, though, is always going to be compared to the mighty IK+, and in that light Barbarian looks distinctly second-rate.

About as much fun as these things get. Great in two-player mode, but only worth buying if you've already got IK+ and want something a bit different.