The Game
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior was released by Palace Software in 1987 on Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, and Atari ST. It was programmed by Steven Brown, with in-game graphics by Michael Barlow, and music composed by Richard Joseph (C64 and Amiga versions).
The game is a one-on-one sword-fighting title with sixteen moves, executed via joystick combinations. Its defining moment was the "goblin-kick" decapitation finisher: a defeated enemy is booted off-screen by a small green goblin, head and body separately. This move became one of the most discussed moments in 8-bit gaming history.
Barbarian received critical acclaim across platforms. Zzap!64 awarded it 96% and Crash gave the Spectrum version a Gold Award. The Amiga version was released in North America under the title Death Sword.
The Box Art and Maria Whittaker
The cover art depicted Dutch bodybuilder Michael Van Wijk as the barbarian warrior and model Maria Whittaker as the "barbarian maiden" - both in warrior costume against a studio backdrop evocative of a fantasy film. The palette of the image - warm amber fur trim, bronzed skin, arena sand tones - directly informs this site's visual identity.
The image was unambiguously provocative by the standards of 1987 UK software retail. Palace knew exactly what they were doing. The art was designed to stand out on shelves, and it succeeded - both commercially and controversially.
The Controversy: Mary Whitehouse and the Clean Up TV Campaign
National Viewers' and Listeners' Association
Mary Whitehouse's National Viewers' and Listeners' Association complained about Barbarian's cover art, arguing that it was inappropriate for a product marketed to children. The campaign attracted press coverage and heightened public awareness of the game - while having no meaningful impact on sales.
The controversy was a masterclass in the Streisand Effect before the term existed. Every newspaper column and moral outrage piece about the Barbarian cover functioned as free advertising. The game's sales benefited. Palace's profile rose.
The German Court Case and the Green Blood
The game's violent content - particularly the decapitation finisher - attracted attention from German authorities. A German court ruling resulted in Barbarian's blood being changed from red to green for the German market, a modification that became legendary in its own right.
The green blood did nothing to diminish the visceral impact of the goblin-kick. If anything, the censored version became a collector's curiosity. The blood-colour change is now one of the most cited examples of regional censorship in 8-bit gaming.
Sales Impact and Legacy
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior was Palace Software's most commercially successful title and one of the best-selling British games of 1987. The controversy did not damage sales - it amplified them. The game is regularly cited as one of the landmark C64 and Amiga titles of the era.
Richard Joseph's C64 title theme is among the most widely recognised SID compositions ever created, preserved in the HVSC and celebrated by the chip music community. Listen to the Barbarian SID theme →
A modern port - Barbarian+ - was released in 2018, demonstrating the title's enduring appeal. Read about modern ports →