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If, at six years-old, Sonic is at what Sega consider retirement age, spare a thought for poor old Mega Man. Now entering his tenth year of active service, Mega Man has been hobbling across platforms and exploring flick-screen locations in his never-ending quest for retirement.

Now his aching bones have been ported to the Game Gear as US Gold snatch away his pension book and milk tokens and force him into battle with four baddies resurrected from the existing NES games. In fact, this sets the theme for the rest of the game, as US Gold claim Game Gear Megaman lifts all the best aspects of the original games, and weeds out the crappy bits. If only they'd done the same to Hurricanes. Mind you, there'd be stuff all left after all that pruning...

Having appeared everywhere else, Mega Man hits the Game Gear courtesy of US Gold.

Having done his time on the Megadrive, Capcom's NES hero is here to save the day for Game Gear owners.

Resplendent in his metal trouser suit, Mega Man is an athletic chap. Armed with a suit-mounted cannon, he runs, slides and jumps across the play area, picking off baddies. When the boss creature has been defeated, MM inherits one of their skills. Similarly, pausing the game reveals a secondary character - a dog called R. Coil, who, when summoned, helps Megaman jump higher than normal.

As with every Megaman game to date, Doctor Wiley is the guy responsible for our hero's latest outing. As with every MM game to date, Wiley has recruited all manner of weird cohorts to aid him finishing Megaman off. Why he just couldn't have him shot, we don't know, but here are the evil guys MM encounters:

1. Stone Man
   Pretty normal MM fare, with all the usual air and ground-based villains whizzing around this quarry-based location.
2. Bright Man
   Hahahah a play on words, because... get this, the level's dark until a certain creature is shot. Titter.
3. Star Man
   An early incarnation of David Bowie, and the inhabitant of a sprawling space station. Rockets and meteors pose a problem here.
4. Napalm Man
   The hardest level of the game. Full of bloody annoying tigers and jungle warfare things. Sods.

By rights, any handheld should be the perfect medium for Megaman. After all, the original was at its best on the Game Boy, so by rights an update which draws the best from the existing versions and is in colour, should be the ultimate handheld platformer.

Wrong. Because, as with every version of Megaman to date, this Game Gear incarnation is let down by some very basic flaws. Whilst the basic platform/shoot 'em up mix is as playable as ever, the needless loss of life and frustrating sections of the original have *also* survived the transition. This makes for a game which can be either a complete walk-over or wildly frustrating, and these two factors make for an uneven game.

Megaman is certainly packed with levels, bosses and power-ups, but sadly only the most tolerant will benefit.

This is the second quality platformer in as many months from US Gold, and Megaman is a notch up from what Game Gear owners have come to expect. It's a close conversion of the Megaman style, with graphics on par with the recent Megadrive Megaworld. However, its frustrating nature won't endear it to every player in the way we think Operation Starfish will.

If you're a Megaman fan, this is handheld heaven. Otherwise, this is an ideal buy for those who like a real Game Gear toughie.

Graphics 84%
P. Well-drawn sprites, the backdrops are detailed and varied, and there are loads of enemy sprites to butcher.

Sound 43%
N. A bit puny to say the least. The effects have less impact than a fight between John Inman and Julian Clary.

Playability 78%
P. The simplistic nature means you'll be blasting with the best before long.
N. Only to have to do it again thanks to the frequently frustrating and unavoidable attack waves.

Lastability 76%
P. The alien attacks follow a set pattern so it'll take ages to learn them.
N. It depends if you treasure your hair as to whether you'll persevere.

Value For Money 74%
P. Not overly expensive.
N. But not exactly the cream of the Game Gear crop.

Overall 75%
A very good conversion drawing all the best aspects of the series, but the flaws of the original are also present. What a pity.