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Ninja revenge is rife in Gremlins new multi-faceted martial arts epic

This is the sequel to Way Of The Tiger, a martial arts game, that was ahead of the opposition in a number of respects.

Unfortunately, it appeared on the scene towards towards the end of the rather over-long martial arts boom, that stifled a number of software houses into dumping any original and exciting projects in favour of re-hashing the same sort of game over and over again.

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Avenger is nothing like the prequel, and is a fantastic game that has something for everyone, having elements of adventure, role-playing, (very) fast action, and puzzle/maze/problem solving. The game is based on a format very similar to Gauntlet - the game that has taken over from the martial arts games in setting the trend that all will follow.

The plot is that, having proved your skills as a Ninja in Way Of The Tiger, you must avenge the murder of your foster father, Naijshi, by the evil Grand Master of Flame - Yaemon - who has stolen the sacred Scrolls of Kettsuin. You swear to the great god Kwon that you will avenge this evil deed and return the scrolls.

The screen is laid out with the action screen in the centre with the three guardians of the keep pictured on the right. Your energy and 'inner peace' levels on the left, and the bottom third of the screen taken up by the status lines. These tell you how many keys you have left, what object you have, how many Ninja throwing stars you have left, and how much treasure you have on your person.

The action screen shows a detailed plan view of your immediate area, with a slight perspective given to everything so that you can see objects tilted slightly - rather than the pure plan view opted for in Gauntlet. The graphics are better than we've come to expect on the Spectrum. Colour has been used creatively and thoughtfully, with none of the livid colour and attribute clashing that mars lesser games. Shading has also been used to great effect, but not overdone, so that clarity is maintained.

The Ninja in the centre of the screen is well animated with no jerkiness or sluggishness. The screens scroll with a smoothness that I would have thought impossible on a Spectrum and only occasionally is there a 'flick' from one section of the maze to another, rather than the smooth scroll, as the program unpacks another section of maze.

The game is set around performing certain tasks. These are accomplished by collecting various useful objects in a set order as decreed by Kwon (your god). Mapping is essential as collecting keys and opening doors should be done in the right order or you may find yourself unable to progress further because of the lack of a key.

The game is multi-levelled, with gratings in the floor used to descend into the depths of the keep and trap doors to go up (rather like a loft door). In all there are six lvels. I have currently seen three of them and the other two show the same kind of thought that went into the level that most people will see. I can only assume that the same was done to the other three levels.

One interesting point is the energy/lives system. When your energy reduces to zero, one point is knocked off your 'inner force'. When this reduces to zero, you die. However, praying to Kwon will usually replenish your inner force and revitalise you to carry on his work. However, he is not a patient god and demanding energy too frequently will result in your premature death!

Avenger is excellent. I would recommend it to almost anyone unreservedly.