When the evil Titan Death Adder (No relation to Rowan Atkinson) stole the Golden Axe from the castle of Yuriua, the land lost its protective shining light. Yuria was overrun by bandits who terrorised the populace. The people were crying out for a hero - and so was the plot of this latest beat 'em up from Sega.

The name of that hero is Tarik and you control him as he battles through live levels of action before coming face to face with Death Adder in the temple on Eagle Island.

Before getting down to the main business of slaying anything that moves with your mighty sword you must first visit a temple where you are granted a choice of three magical powers. These powers are bestowed by the Gods of Thunder, Fire, and Earth and they are what sets Golden Axe apart from the stacks of average hack 'em ups currently doing the rounds.

There are certain situations where only your magic powers will win the day - like when you are confronted by the golden axe warrior or come up against some of Death Adder's tougher minions such as the dinosaur riders or skeletons.

Using the magic takes some practice. You must learn to keep your magic gauge at as high a level as possible by attacking the dwarves that are carrying sacks and collect the pots that they carry. This will keep your magic gauge topped up.

Transport can he made easier by attacking some of the creatures that ride towards you on dragon charges. lf you knock them off their mounts you can hop on the creatures yourself to travel further faster.

Your ultimate objective is to retrieve the golden axe and restore peace to the land of Yuria.

The variety of game play elements in Golden Axe make for a most entertaining game. It requires you to master a number of skills apart from the obvious one of wielding your weapons in as deadly a fashion as you can muster.

A slightly more intelligent hack 'em up and a welcome addition to the Master System library. It will take even the toughest of beat 'em up exponents a good few sessions to get the better of Golden Axe.

£29.99ct OUT NOW

GRAPHICS

9

IQ FACTOR

8

AUDIO

7

FUN FACTOR

8

ACE RATING

890

Rating

89

Reviewer

ACE magazine

Region

UK

Scans

ACE-Magazine-Issue33?gallerypage=63

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