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Toaplan are a company responsible for making many advances with their innovative shoot-'em-ups - Hellfire and Zero Wing are major league examples of their success in this area. A little known fact about Toaplan's Slap Fight is that it, along with Irem's R-Type, is tagged as the forerunner of all the great shoot-'em-ups in existence today. Though the game is similar in style to its 1980's competitors this vertical scroller's edge lies with the massive array of power-ups at the player's disposal.

Tengen, having recognised Slap Fight as a classic, now have this accurate conversion prepared for the Megadrive. Of course, due to Slap Fight's age, the game on it own might not seem so attractive. For this reason Tengen have honoured the original with a variation of their own entited Slap Fight MD, which is another classic exclusively available for the Megadrive. Whereas the scene of the original is set over the surface of a planet similar to Earth, Slap Fight MD takes place in the far reaches of outer space. As both titles feature music by Yuzo Kohiro - the guy responsible for Streets Of Rage I and II - the whole package seems just great! The question is how great!

Slap Fight MD is a conversion of an ancient coin-op that Dave and Jaz used to play when still they wore shorts.

Fly the Slap Fighter over 80 sectors of alien-occupied territory. Dodge the enemy fire and ensure that your fighters hit them when it hurts!

In all there are five variations of weaponry available. Both the games begin with the fighter equipped with the basic shot weapon - a standard missile affair. The list of replacements are as follows and are gained by collecting bonus stars left in the wake of defeated enemies:

Homing Missiles The cheat mentioned above indicates how effective these babies are when the fighter is fully powered up! With these, the player is left to concentrate on dodging enemy fire alone as the missiles seek out their target. Excellent!

Laser As is often the case, the laser is powerful yet slow. This is the standard set by Slap Fight. It's a pity that no-one has yet improved this situation!

In making the most of the fighter's current choice of weapon the fighter upgrading the width of its wings is also possible and is Slap Fighter's most distinctive feature! The wings are extended up to three times until the fighter is so wide that its movement is somewhat restricted.

Nevertheless this lack of freedom is brilliant fun while it lasts as the amount of damage a fully equipped Slap Fighter causes is superb!

The extensions are chosen from the same last as the weapon replacements.

Not only does Slap Fight look, sound and feel like the coin-op but the original mode retains a cheat from the arcade machine too! Here's how it works: Begin the game as usual, however don't move the ship or touch any buttons.

After a few seconds, the ship is taken out by a solitary missile. Now, as the Slap Flight flies into battle once more it has full, homing-missile power-wings!

There are two noticeable improvements made to the original Slap Fight in Tengen's conversion. The first worthy of note is the addition of Yuzo Koshiro's remixed soundtracks. Yuzo is the person responsible for the classic Super Shinobi and Streets of Rage soundtracks. We don't need to tell you want an asset this is as Yuzo's music speaks for itself.

Second in line for Slap Fight's overhaul is Tengen's own Slap Fight MD - a game that takes the basic idea of the original, with all the same weapons and power-ups, but dresses it up with different spaceships and hi-tech, alien bases! Cool or what!

You can see for yourself that Slap Fight is hardly a graphical masterpiece. No disrespect to Yuzo Koshiro either, but the music is rather naff too! However, the game just keeps calling me back for another go. Too often a great looking Megadrive title happens along and provides about an hour's worth of entertainment before losing its appeal altogether.

The fact that Slap Fight has been around for almost a decade now and is still so fiendishly addictive pretty much speaks for itself! Despite its basic appearance the game has impressed everyone here and there's no reason why any blaster master shouldn't feel likewise.

OK, so Slap Fight is about as new as Ethel from Eastenders, but this doesn't stop it from being a classic of, well, Jaz's time at least. Owning the original game is a decent enough prospect in itself, but Tengen's inclusion of Slap Fight MD is more attractive still.

Though even Slap Fight MD look quite dated, Toaplan's ingenuity shines through the primary colours and feeble explosions, offering near-perfect playability. Perhaps it's because Slap Fight is one of the originators of the shoot-'em-ups we know today that this is a refreshing change from the graphically-intense-but-ultimately-dull offerings of recent months.

The layout of the levels and the skills required in safely passing the fighter through the provides a massive adrenalin rush while it lasts. There are enemy missiles everywhere on screen, making some sections appear impassable at first where not even massive power-ups guarantee the player's safety!

Slap Fight original is beaten into submission within a day, but only because of the unlimited continues avaiable. Though it's a short game - the 80 sections are extremely tiny - this is neatly balanced by the addition of Slap Fight MD. A shoot-'em-up fanatic's dream come true, Slap Fight is well worth a look!

Presentation 79%
P. The amount of options at the player's disposal are almost unnecessary.
N. Slap Fight's attract sequences wither alongside the likes of Thunderforce IV.

Graphics 76%
P. Very basic yet imaginative sprites and backgrounds portray the game well.
N. The dated style impresses no-one these days in the light of the Megadrive's capabilities.

Sound 74%
P. Yuzo Koshira's name in association with the game's music is credit in itself.
N. However, the tunes are very so-so with scruffy speech and average sound effects.

Playability 84%
P. Slap Fight has all the ingredients that make the best shoot-'em-ups so addictive.
N. Players hoping for a pleasurable experience can forget it! Both games are totally unforgiving from beginning to end!

Lastability 56%
P. The still challenge offered by Slap Fight is undeniable.
N. The unlimited continues provide the chance of an early completion.

Overall 76%
In spite of its age, Slap Fight is a true shoot-'em-up classic. The extras make it all the more worthwhilte!