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Use Joe's expertise in the martial arts against hordes of enemies across seven levels. Have Joe seek out power-ups that replenish his energy and supplies of ammunition.

Shinobi III was reviewed in Mean Machines issue 5, so why on earth are we reviewing it again? The answer is that Sega were so dissatisfied with the criticism the game received in its original form that they pulled it back for a major rethink, and now hope that the version seen here is much better.

When asked if he would care to journey through a mysterious world on a quest to defeat a master of evil, Joe Mushashi replied: "No". A perfectly good answer we think, and one that certainly saves him a lot of messing about in the long-run. You see Joe's really had enough of chasing villains, he'd much rather sit in front of the TV and forget his Ninja past. Of course this isn't at all possible, for Joe's arch enemy, Neo Zeed, is back from the grave! Having been severely done in at the sword and shruiken of Joe in Zeed's previous bid for World domination, this evil character is understandably sore.

One night, whilst watching Far-Eastenders, Joe is suddenly left staring into an empty blackness. Zeed has cut the powerlines! Zeed is obviously throwing down the gauntlet. Joe accepts!

It is the player's duty to exact Joe's revenge as he tracks the villain down in his desperation to return the power-supply in time for the weekend ombinus edition. Joe has some new tricks up his sleeve to make the going easier. However, there are seven areas standing between Joe and the final confrontation with Zeed himself. Only with his Ninja magic is Joe assured any chance of success!

In terms of stealth, Joe's feet are the most dependable means of getting around undetected. However, there are occasions where speed is of the essence and so Shinobi III (Mk II) incorporates a horse-riding section and power-board water level! Both are a departure from Shinobi's more strategic gameplay but lend themselves to some extremely fast-moving action indeed!

The power-board section, in particular, offers some of the most exciting action and the boss that awaits Joe is especially impressive!

A feature retained from the Shinobi coin-op is the exploitation of crates for their cargo. These miniature treasure chests provide Joe with practically everything he requires, with the exception of occasional booby-trapped boxes. Items discovered within are as follows:

1. Heart:
   These replenish Joe's diminishing life-meter.
2. Shuriken:
   Boost Joe's supply of shuriken. The basic icon supplies five with crossed-shuriken icons purveying as many as 20!
3. POW:
   The power of Joe's attack is doubled. His shuriken are wrapped with flame, as is his sword.
4. Shadow Dancing:
   Joe impresses with his fancy handiwork as he walks with his hands whilst dangling from high places. This is a skill that Joe perfects for the final stages of his mission.
5. Wall-To-Wall Scarpering
   Narrow fissures are overcome as Joe springs from wall to wall.
6. Defence
   Though this slows his progress, Joe's use of his sword as a shield prevents much unnecessary damage. He also looks amazingly cool in his defence stances.

Shinobi is one of my top three Sega characters. His previous games are shining examples of Sega's inventiveness and knack for hitting on that all-too-elusive special ingredient - atmosphere. Joe Mushashi's character development has now reached a stage where he is the most complete, serious action character I can think of.

The wide array of moves available to him make his control superb. If only the situations set before him in this latest venture were more taxing. As impressive and innovative as the power-ski and horse-riding sections are, the gameplay involved is quite basic when compared to the care required for success in Revenge Of Shinobi.

Joe's wall-hanging technique is made good use of, but the dash-slash manoeuvre is quite redundant. Moreover, the boss characters, whilst exciting visually, have predictable attack patterns. I still recommend this game to Shinobi fanatics but don't expect the class of what has gone before.

Having reviewed and been disappointed with the earlier version of this game way back in December, I can say without a doubt that this update is better - but not that much. The additions of the power-ski and horse-riding sections are certainly different and add a bit of variety to the game, but the gameplay of these bits is fairly basic and not strong enough to push this game into top class category.

Having said that, the game certainly looks better than the earlier version with big impressive sprites and much improved backdrops. It's also big, fast, tough and good fun and I'd have no difficulty recommending this to anybody - Ninja freaks in particular will wet their pants over it.

The power embodied in a Ninja's sword is beyond the understanding of most people. Joe isn't most people. He knows his sword like he knows the back of his mind, and the thoughts that he keeps there help fuel his sword's capacity for magical purposes.

1. Ikazuchi
   Being one of those fortunate people who live their entire lives out of a dentist's chair, Joe envelopes himself in a shield of electricity that ought to play havoc with his fillings - only, he doesn't have any!
2. Mijin
   At the cost of a life, Joe explodes and hopefully takes his enemy out with him. Foolish, perhaps, but then Joe returns to fight again whereas his enemy does not. Obviously, this powerful mantra is best reserved for emergencies only.
3. Fushin
   For all Joe's fantastic, wall scaling abilities, there's no denying the Fushin magic's benefits. This magic lasts for the duration of a level and affords Joe the ability to jump supernatureally high into the air!
4. Kariu
   A fan of Jerry Lee Lewis as a child, and a closet fan of Jerry Lee Lewis as a grown-up, Joe accidentally summoned great balls of fire one day! However, he liked the effect so much that he kept at it, and now the Kariu, as they are so called, pose as his most effective magic.

Only a Ninja master is capable of ridding the World of an evil such as Neo Zeed. Yet it seems that even the skills of the legendary Super Shinobi are prone to failure. Joe is making doubly sure this time around by adding new moves to his deadly repertoire. Aside from his basic shuriken and sword swipe his battery of techniques are:

1. Silent Running
   In most cases Joe cannot wait to confront his enemy. Now more energetic than ever, Joe takes flight and runs with the double-tap of the D-pad.
2. Somersault
   This isn't new, but it's still a great manoeuvre. As Joe reaches the pinnacle of a leap, he tucks into a ball and spins. With this, Joe is able to disperse shuriken in eight directions!
3. Dash-Slash
   Previously Joe only brandished his sword for stationary, closed-range slicings. Now he charges, sword raised, for a surprise attack.

Presentation 89%
P. The scene is set courtesy of a lengthy story and plenty of cinematic-style, kung fu action. The images presented between levels are impressive too.

Graphics 92%
P. Shinobi III's graphics are of a very high standard. Imaginative sprites and depth to the backgrounds make the game exciting to watch.
N. The animation is fairly disjointed.

Sound 90%
P. Yuzo Koshiro works his Ninja magic once more on the soundtracks. All of the incidental effects, such as steel against steel, are smart!
N. The sampled speech is rugged.

Playability 87%
P. Joe is a funky character to control. He's brilliant. Some of his adversaries are equally as groovy.
N. Unfortunately most of the game doesn't live up to his high standards.

Lastability 82%
P. On its hardest difficulty setting, the game presents a still, sweaty challenge.
N. Though this doesn't have the repeated drawing power of its predecessor. Consequently, it may get left on the shelf once completed.

Overall 89%
A great looking game that features a superb central character, but the game is slightly lacking in originality and intrigue.