Previous Next

The Ninja is back. It is not surprising really that the game which was designed to be the Ninja game to end all Ninja games - literally "the last ninja" - should lead to a sequel.

System 3 hit on a unique blend of arcade entertainment and adventure style puzzles in The Last Ninja. Beat-'em-up fun and problem-solving were the two vital ingredients - but very moderate doses of both.

After you'd played Ninja for a while, you soon tire of beating up the guards and want to get down the serious business of solving the adventure, getting through all the levels, and seeing the end game screen.

Ninja II takes the same basic game design system - but improves on it. In fact, it improves on it a great deal in every department - from graphics to game puzzles, the whole thing has been improved upon.

As Paul Hogan said recently: "The trouble with doing sequels is that they have to be 150 times better." System 3 has obviously taken Crododile Dundee's words to heart as they have crammed numerous innovations into this sequel.

Six levels of gameplay chart a tale in which the Ninja must seek out the evil Shogun and destroy him once and for all.

Level One sees the Ninja commence his quest from the bandstand in the middle of Central Park. One of the first puzzles to work out is how he can get underneath the bandstand to progress through the game.

The park is full of its famous pitfalls - muggers, vagrants, and even a bent copper or two.

The corrupt police force is something you discover very early in the game. Konikun has the force under his influence - which is another reason why you, the Ninja, must defeat him - to restore the force to the proper authorities.

From this opening level it is clear that programmers, Mev Dinc, John Twiddy, and artist Hugh Riley, have done System 3 proud.

The detail in the park is excellent. My favourite screen is the one with the juggler, a slightly menacing character with knives rather than clubs - and who knows he may decide to throw one of them at you.

The Spectrum version is only two colour due to the 3D scrolling nature of the game design. It is not possible to achieve this effect on the Speccy in full colour. It does not lose that much though - all of the detail is there.

Level Two takes our hero on to the streets of New York with drug stores, big yellow taxis, more muggers and some mad motorcyclists who don't have a great deal of respect for Ninjas.

Again, the streets are patrolled by policemen who may have a go at you. By winning three punch ups in a row you can effectively kill a policeman. This is not advisable. As John Twiddy put it "cop killers are not popular". In other words, it makes the rest of the force pursue a shoot-to-kill policy.

The hamburger joints come in handy here - providing you with vital energy. Be careful not to scoff one in the seedy part of town though - as you might get food poisoning.

Level Three takes you down to the sewers where you encounter the rats. Ever since I read James Herbert's book about these vicious rodents I have been petrified by rats. They scuttle horribly towards you in the bowels of the city and your Ninja has to be fleet of foot to avoid them.

As in all other levels, there is a puzzle to be solved.

You are now in the basemwnt of the Shogun's office. The office level forces you into combat with one of the bent policemen.

Not giving anything away but this level features the Access Card and a lift which places you in the heart of the Shogun's office - which is really an opium den. Your aim here is to find a secret passageway that will lead you to the roof where a helicopter is about to take off to the Shogun's Island fortress - otherwise known as the next load.

Ninja II is one of the best sequels I have seen. It works because the designers were brave enough to stick to the same basic concept.