The first Wizards and Warriors game for the NES was a runaway hit with many gamers in the 80s. Just about anyone who had an NES owned Wizards and Warriors and played it over and over again and knew every trick and hidden treasure room in the game. Naturally, the powers that be said, "Hey Rare, let Kuros rise again!" and a sequel was born. This time around, Fabio (yes, THAT Fabio!) introduced many to their first cosplay experience on the cover of the box. Although Fabio makes no appearances in the game as Kuros, either playable or pushing fake butter, Kuros looked nothing like him!

Having been defeated in Wizards and Warriors, the down but not out evil wizard Malkil is back with a vengence. After rescuing princess after princess with cool names like "Grizelda", Kuros' quest this time around is to assemble the four pieces of the Ironsword (one ancient belief is that iron is strong against magic, so watch yourself Malkil!) by destroying the four Elementals that Malkil possessed to help him to corrupt the land of Sindarin. After requesting the aid of the four animal kings in the first half of each level, Kuros must requisition for them some phatty gold bling before he can advance to the guardian's secret lair. Kuros still finds gems scattered about, but this time he can use that hard earned cheddar to buy keys, weapons, even extra lives at some shops! There is even a fun little gambling game where Kuros plays the bones for more loot. Once the golden bling haveth exchanged hands, Kuros is then allowed passage into the heart of the lair, where an Elemental Guardian is charged with protecting one of the four pieces of the Ironsword. Here the game ramps up the difficulty a notch with some of the most difficult action and puzzles in the history of platformers. The key to victory lies in the discovery of the guardian's magic weakness and exploiting that vulnerability with the appropraite spell. Matched up against a skilled magician, the boss guardians don't stand a Darwinian chance of survival when Kuros comes a knockin't.

Without the correct spell, however, boss fights become a game of cat and mouse, and Kuros will find himself becoming a cat snack everytime! Just try it out for yourself. We dare you!

Once our hero assembles the mighty sword, we find it is not quite as mighty as what Fabio is holding on the cover. The Ironsword is by and far the worst "best" weapon ever for an NES game. Puny in size and power, one would think the sword would at least be a little larger than a short sword.

Although a little easier than the first game, Ironsword is still a challenging game. Let's just say the final boss has destroyed more controllers than all the Mario Parties combined. The bottom line, if you don't own this game and a NEX already, make it happen soon. You won't be dissapointed.

Extra! The U.S. Television CM for the game.

Words simply cannot express the awesomeness when yet another Kuros actor comes crashing through the bedroom of some kid who happens to be at the very end of the first Wizards and Warriors game. How convienient is that? Boogeymen of the world take note, Kuros is on the loose, and he's here to kick some serious ass!