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This is the follow-up to the brilliant Knight ‘n' Grail, continuing that game's storyline with a new character, but you don't have to have played the original to enjoy this game.

The Knight gave the Grail to the Archmage for his help, but now the Archmage's partner has been turned into a hideous beast by the magic of the Titans. The Archmage must take human form and seek out the magic pendant that will remove the spell from his partner. A mixture of flick-screen and horizontally scrolling sections is used. Loading gives the choice of starting a new game or loading the saved game (although there is only one save per disk image). The Archmage soon collects a special amulet and a red crystal. This allows the Archmage to shoot magic at the enemies that fill the levels. There are two slots in the amulet, allowing different coloured crystals to be combined, each colour crystal will unlock the same coloured door by shooting it. Pausing gives access to the map and the inventory screen.

Saving your game can be done at certain stones, while other stones give clues when read. Killed enemies and treasure chests drop coins and gems which are used to buy extras and hints. There are destructible blocks in the scenery that can be shot to reveal bonuses. Certain characters send you on quests; for example, the Hunter requires you to find his stolen arrows and return them. New magical powers are acquired that will allow you to access previously blocked areas, including a double jump and a "dash" move to fly over obstacles.

This is a highly polished game with a great fantasy setting. Graphics are really good, with well-animated enemies and plenty of clever background details (including references to Knight 'N Grail). Sound and music back up the graphics well.

Control is at times a little tricky to get used to, but a recent patch has removed a bug where the player could get stuck in the scenery. It's a shame that there is only one save slot and there are long pauses in the action to load new sections.

The end result is a massive map to explore and some interesting puzzles to overcome, with a lot of depth and playability.