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Anarchic struggles are rife throughout 17th century Japan. The evil Lord Hikiji has captured Lord Noriyuki, old friend to the ronin rabbit. Usagi Yojimbo. The player guides Usagi through the troubled lands in order to liberate his friend.

From the title screen, joystick or key control is selected, the game begun or a practice mode entered. Practice involves venting sword strokes upon nine sheaves of wheat; completion of the sequence leads back to the title screen.

The landscape push-scrolls horizontally, while choosing a different direction at a junction or reaching a new level flicks the screen to reveal the next stage.

The number of ryo (initially three), the current Karma level (a form of score) and the ronin's status are displayed on-screen. Ryo are silver coins, helpful to the rabbit's quest. Being a ronin, Usagi is relatively poor; however, some enemies carry money which may be taken from their corpses once defeated. Giving alms to peasants increases his Karma status, and money is used to obtain food which restores vital health points. The player may also gamble and thus quickly increase his finances.

As Usagi performs good acts, such as vanquishing enemies, he gains Karma. If he strikes helpless opponents, hassles small animals or kills priests, he loses it. Should this level ever drop to zero, overcome with shame he is forced to take the only honourable option: hara-kiri. Karma is carried forward to future lives.

Usagi operatures in two modes, aggressive and peaceful. An inset box shows his current state as a sequence of three expressions: normal, angry and despairing, in which case he is low on energy and about to die. A ten unit energy bar reveals his current status, depleted by enemy attacks and drained completely by falling down holes. If the energy bar reaches zero, Usagi's quest ends.

The strict rules of etiquette are obeyed at all times, so that much of the ronin's time is spent peacefully. Usagi may bow to persons of equal status, and is obliged to bow to persons of higher status, otherwise he insults them deeply. Observing these rules sometimes results in a message from the encountered character displayed at the top of the screen - this reveals a useful clue or an item of philosophical wisdom.

Aggressive mode is adopted for encounters with hostile opponents, who include other warriors, pigs and huge dragon-like creatures. Three types of sword-stroke are available: parry, side-swipe and overhead cut. Most opponents can be dispatched with a single, well-aimed stroke, but large monsters and gangs require a more intense form of combat.

Not only is Samurai Warrior an innovative adaptation of the beat-'em-up genre, it's also immense fun to play. All the characters are brilliantly drawn, and the backdrops, if occasionaly gaudy, are generally of a very high standard.

It's these characters that make the game so interesting: the mixture of cuteness and aggression in Usagi himself, the hostile pig warriors and the huge guardians who prove extremely tough opponents to beat.

The sound complements this mixture of cartoon appeal and solemnity, and a jolly oriental soundtrack supports the basic sound effects

The practice mode helps you through the initial rustiness and is as well presented as the rest of the game. However, it's the etiquette element that distinguishes the game from its rivals: only after a couple of plays do you realise that not all characters need to be fought, and that it's wiser to think first and draw your sword later.

That said, there's more than enough action for beat-'em-up fans. The gameplay is full of neat touches: the philosophical messages which contain vital clues, the gambling element and the ability to buy food, the ghostly remains of enemies spirited away... Samurai Warrior is cute, colourful and fully deserving of anyone's attention.

Taken from the Usagi Yojimbo comic books, Samurai Warrior translates to a computer game exceedingly well. The graphics retain all the flavour of the original drawings, and the game design is such that the action unfolds like a typical Usagi comic strip.

Although the horizontally scrolling gameplay is very derivative, there are enough neat touches and surprises to keep you coming back for more. The added twist of following ronin etiquette and not just attacking everyone in sight, and trying to work out where Usagi should go, what he should do proves very addictive and adds an extra dimension to the action.

The amount of attention paid to the sprite animation is incredible - just watch Usagi draw and sheathe his sword, and some of the large monsters and other ronin are excellent. Similar car has been lavished on the suitably oriental backdrops, and the soundtrack complements the action perfectly.

Samurai Warrior is a thoroughly entertaining game, and throws down a strong challenge to those who wish to rescue Lord Noriyuki. Try it!

Although the basis of the gameplay in Samurai Warrior is really very simple, and has made appearances before in such 'games' as Fighting Warrior, Firebird have made some worthwhile additions which make this one of the most interesting beat-'em-ups I've seen.

The Karma and Ryo scores combined with the route selection and the variety of interaction with everyone from peasants to bounty hunters and monsters, consolidate Usagi's exploits into a real quest instead of just a series of fights.

Effective swordplay takes some getting used to, but the practice game helps to refine the essential range-judging skills. A stylishly-drawn loading screen is typical of the graphical quality, sprites and backdrops being well designed and animated, and the soundtrack is suitably laid-back and Oriental.

Don't have any misgivings about handing over your Ryo for this.

Presentation 85%
Demonstration and practice modes, wide variety of moves available, comprehensive instructions and novel information displays.

Graphics 89%
Colourful, cartoon-quality backdrops and sprites of a generally high standard.

Sound 71%
Accomplished oriental soundrack.

Hookability 90%
Appealing characters and presentation complement the game's simple but addictive qualities.

Lastability 87%
Plenty of levels to tackle the urge to continue enhanced by a range of uglier and tougher characters to encounter.

Overall 91%
An excellent adaptation of the oriental beat-'em-up theme, and a good conversion from the comic.