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The kung-fu game rears its oriental head again this Christmas. We've had Fist II and Yie Ar Kung Fu II; now here's the follow up to Gremlin's Way Of The Tiger.

This is a mixture of the current Gauntlet fad and good old arcade adventure. 300 screens of adventure to be exact.

It's only a one player game - but it does have a Gauntlet-style screen and four-way scrolling.

But the characters sometimes appear side on while the scenery is still seen from above, which gives an odd sort of perspective to the game. It looks OK, mind you.

The all important story line goes like this. Having successfully completed your training - in Way Of The Tiger, of course! - you are now ready to avenge your stepfather and take back the scrolls of Ketsuin from the wicked Yaemon to appease the God Kwan and release him from eternal hell.

Your quest starts outside Quench Heart Keep where you must find the keys to gain access. Once inside you must kill the three guardians of the keep. Beware, as they must be killed in a specific way and in a certain order.

Use your Shuriken’s wisely as once they've gone you only have your unarmed combat skills to rely on.

As you fight your way through the many adversaries you may call on the God Kwan to replenish your endurance and inner force. To complete the game you must collect the scrolls and escape from the Keep having avenged the death of your father and releasing Kwan from the power of Yaemon.

You begin the game outside the keep and you need keys to get in. Hunt around and you'll find some - but you'll have to fight off Yaemon's minions while you search.

Keys are the key to success in this game. Plan which doors you open with the first two you collect very carefully. Some doors have more keys hidden in the rooms which lie beyond - others don't.

Be careful going through sideways doors. You have to position your character just right to get him through. At first I thought I had to collect something before I was allowed through - but no, I just hadn't placed my character in the right position.

There are six levels of the Keep to explore - all packed with baddies to beat up. Be careful as most of them are intelligent and will follow you about unless you knock them out.

Graphics are interesting and the sound is good - with some nice spot effects. There's also lots to do and the feeling that IF you could just open one more door, a whole new world would be revealed to you!

Avenger isn't a stunning game - but it is pretty playable. One for map fans and a worthy follow up to Way Of The Tiger.