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Mystical Ninja Featuring Goemon features the titular ninja Goemon and his companions Sasuka, Yae and Ebismaru as they attempt to rescue Ancient Japan from the nefarious Black Ship Gang. Initially, Goemon appears to be an intriguing mix of action and RPG, but falls short when compared to the likes of Zelda: Link's Awakening. And there lies the problem. Link's Awakening is now five years old, and unfortunately Goemon offers no real improvements over one of the original essential Game Boy titles.

The action mode is too fiddly by half, as you'll find yourself falling down a pit or into a river more often than not. You cannot save the game at any stage, as passwords are given on the completion of each level. This is annoying, since you cannot skip the intro sequences, meaning that you have to wait a minute or so before you start a level from the beginning again.

Mystical Ninja Featuring Goemon is a brave attempt at a well-trodden genre, falls short when compared to other Game Boy action/RPGs like Link's Awakening and Final Fantasy. Let's hope that Konami has more success in the future, as Goemon and Co. are great characters deserving of a great game.