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When the last rays of sunlight ebb, a lone figure moves deftly through the darkened streets. Almost indistinguishable from the shadows, he stalks his prey with stealth and merciless intent. He raises a black, gloved hand and summons his companion with the subtlest of gestures...

A soft padding follows as his dog bounds to his side. The most faithful of companions and the most dangerous of animals. A huge dog, well trained and as silent as its master...

Ninja. Fearsome warrior spy from Japan's violent feudal past. Why here? Why in twentieth century America? The most dangerous of missions requires the most dangerous assassin. Joe Musashi is that man. Capable of extraordinary feats of agility and combat prowess, he can also summon the ancient secrets of Ninjutsu - Ninja magic.

His mission is to wreck the plans of evil saboteurs. Their twisted scheme involves the destruction of a NASA space shuttle. So how does he do it? In an ancient ceremony, he dons his white costume. The time for stealth is over, only brutal force will win the day this time.

Shadow Dancer is a sequel (of sorts) to the '80s arcade smash hit Shinobi. The original Shinobi involved a lot of platform jumping, shruiken throwing and Ninja magic performing stunts. So how different is the sequel?

Well, er, not very different at all, really. In fact, the only real difference gameplay-wise is the addition of your trusty Ninja dog, Butch. Actually Butch is a bit of a poor name for a Ninja dog... how about Fido? Yup, Fido the Ninja dog.

Fido and his master are guided through vertically and horizontally-scrolling screens quite uncannily, in fact, like those found in Shinobi. You can throw an unlimited number of shuriken (that's throwing stars to you, matey). Your Ninja dude can also perform average to incredibly high jumps. The super jumps access higher platforms on the screen.

Little jumps are used to avoid enemy projectiles or scale small obstacles. Your incredible array of skills also includes the ability to unleash a blast of smart-bombesque Ninja magic.

But what about the dog? Why is he there? To kill baddies, that's why! Well, he doesn't actually kill them, he just keeps them occupied while you get into a good position to drop them with a well-placed shuriken.

The dog is activated by pulling down and pressing Fire. It can be useful for dispatching bad guys who lie in wait in a place where you'd have to risk life and limb to reach them.

One of the nice features of the game is the variety of end-of-level baddies you encounter. The first is a huge samurai with a bad attitude, but later denizens include Ninja girlies and even a homicidal train.

After defeating the baddies, you go on to a rather interesting bonus round. This sees you at the foot of the screen, hurling shuriken at the enemy Ninjas who leap from the top of a skyscraper.

If you kill them all without letting a single one past, you receive a free bonus life. This is a lot harder than it sounds.

So how does Shadow Dancer rate? Well, the first thing you'll notice is the graphics. They are programmed in 16-colour mode and very impressive they are too. The sprites are sharp and detailed, the backgrounds colourful and well designed. The animation, while smooth, isn't particularly realistic. The dog when he attacks looks like... well, let's just say he doesn't look like he's attacking, more as if he's developed a strong affection for your leg, just like Auntie Mabel's randy Labrador.

The scrolling is very impressive, especially for the very colourful mode 0. The screen scrolls in four directions and covers, depending on the level, a very large area. The music on the title screen is very nice, a thumping Oriental track. The in-game spot effects are a little weak, though. Luckily, this doesn't spoil the action at all.

Shadow Dancer is one of the biggest, most playable arcade licences to date and US Gold deserves a big pat on the back for this one.

US Gold has gone a terrific job of converting the arcade original onto the Amstrad. The graphics especially are great. A great conversion of a great beat-'em-up.

Beat the first level guardian.

Graphics 89%
Beautiful sprites and wonderful backgrounds really make this one stand out from the crowd.

Sonics 69%
Excellent title music, marred slightly by the poor in-game spot effects.

Grab Factor 90%
Brilliantly addictive right from the start, it's hard to put down.

Staying Power 88%
Huge, difficult and challenging. Even when you do complete it, you'll go back for more.

Overall 90%
A brilliant conversion of a lush coin-op, with the most distinctive graphical style around.