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Just when retired cops Axel and Blaze feel they can sit back, put their slippers on and have a nice cup of Horlicks after sorting out the fiends who tried to pulverise their city, their arch-enemy, Mr. X pops up and starts his tiresome shenanigans all over again.

This time the master of hassle has kidnapped Axel and Blaze's very special friend, Adam and subjected him to horrors beyond belief, like dressing him up in girl's clothes and making him play with dolls for all eternity (or something equally shuddersome). Naturally, being well 'ard superheroes, Blade and Axel feel obliged to do the right thing and rescue him, so dragging Adam's little brother, Skate, with them, they set off along the stricken city streets, kicking serious ass.

This is a small screen conversion of the completely excellent Megadrive smash of the same name.

As one of the three vigilantes, fight through eight levels of deadly foes before a final confrontation with Mr. X and freedom for Adam.

There are three heroes to choose from, each with their own special abilities and attacking powers. Here's the list of characters at your command:

1. Axel
   Axel's the martial arts master, a skill he uses to great effect. Since he's also quite a chunky chappie with masses of bulging biceps, he's still fairly well up in the punching, kicking and heat-butting department, he's got some really neat special moves including one that's very similar to Ryu's Dragon Punch in Street Fighter II.
   
   Power: 2/3
   Technique: 3/3
   Speed: 2/3
   Jump Power: 1/3
   Stamina: 2/3
2. Blaze
   With her knock-'em-dead figure, you wouldn't think this woman would have to scrap much but fight she does - usually to great effect. She's the team's all-rounder and she's picked up a few more attacks since the prequel, including a nifty somersault kick and a usually-fatal short-range fireball. She's probably the best character to be.
   
   Power: 2/3
   Technique: 2/3
   Speed: 2/3
   Jump Power: 2/3
   Stamina: 2/3
3. Skate (Sammy)
   Young Skate is Adam's street-wise kid brother. He's the speed-freak of the group and his jumping ability is second to none, but he can't take many hits because his stamina level is so low.
   
   His main speciality is a fab Dhalsim-style yoga spear which doesn't do the enemy any favours at all.
   
   Power: 1/3
   Technique: 2/3
   Speed: 3/3
   Jump Power: 3/3
   Stamina: 1/3

Make no mistake, there are a lot of enemies to batter into oblivion in this game including middle and end-of-level bosses, all with their own methods of dealing out death. For example, Jet goes for the flying attack which the player has to be quick to avoid, Predator practises the ambush laser attack, R. Bear wields the hammer punch, Shiva prefers to kick the player to death while the final showdown with Mr. X involves a potentially fatal rendezvous with rapid-firing machine-gun fire.

At last! A truly decent beat-'em-up on the Game Gear! This 4-Meg cart has been jam-packed with great features. It's really fast, with eight levels teeming with tough and varied baddies to conquer, the backdrops are gorgeous and although in easy mode, zipping through isn't too difficult, the hard mode is sure to tax the most experienced gamer.

The addition of the simultaneous two-player option is a nice touch and vastly increases the fun factor. All three characters are totally unique and the differences in their strengths and weaknesses is astounding. All in all, a great package and one Game Gear owners would be potty to miss.

This is many times better than the original Streets Of Rage on the Game Gear! Rather than being presented with a rather half-hearted conversion of the game, this hand-held rendition successfully recreates all the moves of the game's most exciting three characters - only Max is missing, who is a bit slow anyway.

The absence of the extra button for use with the special moves is ably replaced by movements on the joypad which, essentially, calls for more skill!

Of course, the action is nowhere near as hard-hitting as the Megadrive version, this is too much to ask, but two players needn't feel ripped off by having bought a copy each as this is brilliant stuff!

Eight long levels, a decent challenge and a game that makes the Game Gear look and sound great! Smart.

Presentation 92%
P. Some pretty presentation screens, a polished feel to the game and a reasonable range of options.
N. A duel mode would have been nice.

Graphics 89%
P. Good-sized sprites and some lovely backdrops for the Game Gear.

Sound 88%
P. Atmospheric music and some great sound effects but naturally enough, it's not a patch on the Megadrive version.

Playability 90%
P. Really good fun and utterly addictive - it's not a case of just mindless button-bashing either, you really have to use your bonce.

Lastability 87%
P. Eight huge levels (each with sub-levels) present a goodly challenge for one and all in hard mode.
N. The easy mode is just a touch too easy.

Overall 89%
An excellent sequel to an already good game - one of the best scrolling beat-'em-ups to ever hit the Game Gear.