With Microsoft pretty much ignoring the original Xbox these days, a small number of new titles are coming from third-party developers for at least a short while. While most of these are guaranteed to be bargain barrel fodder, one that's worth taking a closer look at is Evolved Games' upcoming Knights of the Temple II, also headed to the PlayStation 2 this fall in the US. Developed by Cauldron, the Bratislava-based studio that brought Conan to European and UK retailers, the game uses a modified version of that engine to show off some incredible environments and plenty of great lighting effects. Like Conan, the lead character here has dozens of combat moves, as well as a nice variety of killing weapons to choose from. UK gamers have already gotten their version of the game last year, but now that it's on the way to US shores, it's time to see how this version is coming along.

A recent two-level demo revealed that Knights II should appeal greatly to hardcore hack & slash fans who like their games challenging. The first game was a UK/European exclusive developed by the folks at Starbreeze, who've gone on to bigger and better things these days. Knights may do just the same thing for Cauldron, or it'll at least get them more noticed than their previous titles. Playing as Paul De Raque, the first action-packed level requires you to merely make it from a balconied area to the end of a curved pier, not an easy task given the assorted crazed demons that have the idea of killing you dead a few times. Enemies aren't at all shy about assaulting you from any number of angles and rushing into battle carelessly leaves you staring at the Game Over screen as you scream at your controller.

In the demo you are equipped with a nice variety of swords, axes, maces and a few different suits of armor. Switching between these change the character model (a great touch) and show off some nifty lighting effects when you equip a flaming sword. However, all the nice lighting in the world won't make up for lousy gameplay and fortunately, Knights II has what it takes to keep the bodies piling up. Just like in Conan, there are some wicked combos to deal out damage to single or multiple foes and the demo sees you pretty beefed up in terms of moves. Just as you reach street level, you're assaulted by two agile demons that pop from steaming sewer grates and a horned fire beast that zips around and throws deadly fireballs like the Human Torch.

Despite blocking some attacks from the bum-rushing beasties, engaging all three opponents at once was not a good thing, as I found out within seconds. The fire creature darted away and threw fireballs from a distance, while the other demons whittled away at my life bar until I collapsed in a heap - ouch. On the second try I decided to break left past a stack of crates and, much to my surprise, even more demons appeared, including one with twin swords. Slashing wildly, I managed to dispatch some of the creatures licking at my heels, but as I approached another stack of crates near the end of the curved pier, a roar shook the game screen and my ears as a huge red demon bashed through the boxes. Yup, Game Over again. Restarting for the third time, I paused for a strategic huddle, checking out the available weapons for some sort of Plan C. Resuming the action, I ran to the ledge and activated the demons, then quickly jumped back up to the balcony, drawing my crossbow.

Here the you get an over the shoulder viewpoint quite like the one in Resident Evil 4. Aiming is done with a T-shaped crosshair but there's a bit of guesswork involved as your armored body blocks a bit of the screen if you're trying to shoot down at something. Fortunately, the formerly annoying flame demon was off in the distance, but my first shot sent him blazing away and around until he was under the platform where I stood. Dodging a fireball thrown in my direction, I decided to retreat and, back on the balcony, I took out both demons with one bolt each. After another two fireballs flew past my head, the fire beast expired with another crossbow bolt in its blazing body.

Taking out more enemies from afar and finishing off the rest with some deft blade work, I once more decided to brave the big red box-tossing beast that dispensed death in one go. As I approached the area, I noticed two treasure boxes, one of which contained extra crossbow bolts. Picking them up and stepping cautiously backwards a few steps, I noticed that the box closed itself. Heading back to it, I opened the box and saw more bolts staring me in the face. Hmmm… problem solved. Snagging the bolts, I ran forward to the crates and then ran back as the big demon appeared, along with two of the smaller creatures for company. Running back along the curved pier, I stopped at its end, turned around and drew the crossbow. The two smaller demons and a third one that just hopped out of the water were lurking at the opposite end of the pier, while off in the distance, Bid Red was waving his arms and bellowing.

A few bolts finished him and his minions off, including two cool shots that took down demons scampering towards my position. After that, a trip to the end of the pier led to another fire demon and a short fight against armored demons on a boat with a fellow knight, which ended that portion of the demo. For the record, killing enemies earns experience points that can be traded for enhanced skills and new fighting moves. You also have access to mystic powers such as healing, rage powers and extra defense, activated by pressing in the left trigger and the corresponding face button on the Xbox pad. In the demo you can also purchase enhanced combat moves that are activated with a right trigger press and a face button.

The second demo level is an insanely inspired run through the lower levels of a crumbling building, with plenty of Roman Legion-looking guards to impede my progress. Not only did I need to beat down baddies as quickly as possible and get out alive, but there were also stray lightning blasts, poison and fire to deal with if I dawdled about in an area for too long. Unlike the earlier stage, speed was an issue, so equipping the right weapon for the job was the most important thing. That flaming sword did the job quite well and finding my way out was a matter of not panicking while killing anything that stood in my way. The most amusing part here was noticing the cracked floors in each of the rooms I was running through and saying to myself "I am not going to be around when those floors give way!"

In terms of presentation, two things Cauldron nails perfectly is the atmosphere of each environment combined with an excellent attention to detail. If you were lucky enough to play Conan then you'll see the same lovely texture work and some stunning lighting effects used here. If there weren't people trying to kill you every second, you might even gasp at the amazing texture variety. Wood, stone, tile and assorted metalwork all look wonderful and light sources such as torches, lightning or the aforementioned flaming sword brighten up dark areas quite nicely. You also get a few destructible objects to bash around for fun and prizes. The team at Cauldron clearly loves their work and they're getting a ton of mileage out of this well-tuned game engine. While the character models are a tiny bit blocky, they're animated very well indeed and the AI is fierce beyond belief for the most part.

There have been a couple of improvements and tweaks made from Conan, such as the sensitivity adjustment for the game camera (that is good) and the removal of a running jump. In Conan the camera had the tendency to jitter and swing around, often giving you a view of the Cimmerian as he swung his weapon at the soon to be dead. Here you can adjust the camera swing to be nothing at all or a harder to tame cinematic monster that sways about looking for the best angle to present things from. The default setting is somewhere in the middle, forcing you to stop moving and click in the right stick when things get too unruly. In Conan you could at least adjust the camera while moving, so the tradeoff is a tad quirky. Reorienting the camera behind you is a necessity that can save your life, given the enemies' often-sneaky tactics. The pace of the game isn't as kinetic as God of War or Devil May Cry, but just like in Conan there's a satisfying dynamism on display where nearly every blow feels painful. As for the jumping, you can only jump when you're not moving and then only straight up. Given that you're wearing a suit of armor that's a more realistic change that some may not like. Then again, you can't swim at all, as evidenced after I ran off the docks.

Knights of the Temple II has an excellently moody orchestral score, excellent voice acting and some great sound effects to round things off, but I'll absolutely need to play the full game to see how everything else has turned out. One thing's certain, this particular medieval-style hack and slash is something of a rarity on the 'dying' Xbox, so it's bound to draw interest for the setting alone. As I've mentioned, it's also coming to the PlayStation 2, but again a play is in order to see how the two versions compare. Given Cauldron's skills, I'm hoping it's as much of a blast to play and doesn't lose too much detail on the less powerful PS2. The biggest issue in my opinion hinges on how well the Xbox version will be received; with the lack of upcoming games for the system, I hope the game is able to find a loyal audience, particularly since there's little to compare it to on the system these days. Cauldron has a few other tricks up its sleeve, but we'll talk about the super-looking FPS, Gene Troopers, in a future preview.

Previewed by Greg Wilcox for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).