With its gory visuals and "pornographic" advertising, Palace Software's Barbarian is one of the most infamous 8-bit home computer releases of the 1980s.
When it launched on the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum in 1987, it was hit with a barrage of complaints in the UK over its decapitation-based gameplay and the use of Page 3 model Maria Whittaker on the box cover, clad in a particularly revealing bikini alongside future Gladiators star Michael Van Wijk. The game was even banned in its original form in Germany.
As you might have predicted, Barbarian was a commercial smash hit, and it also garnered many rave reviews, making it one of the most beloved titles of its era. Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax arrived the following year and, once again, featured Whittaker and Van Wijk in its promotional imagery.
Now, it's getting a second lease of life thanks to an unofficial port to Atari's 8-bit home computers, which sadly missed out on the game back in the '80s.
The project is being undertaken by a Polish team consisting of Vega, Gaspar, Miker and GienekP. You can read more about its progress here.