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The Last Ninja is nothing more nor less than a standard implementation of a standard combat game. It's got a fictitious history longer than your average list of Bruce Lee films. All the Ninjutsu Ninjas are wiped out on the island of Lin Fen by Kunitoki, the evil Shogun of the Ashikaga Clan. Foolishly, his warriors allow one to escape - and this last Ninja returns to the island for revenge.

You can walk, jump or twiddle your limbs in a most professional manner. But my Ninja didn't seem to be quite as agile as the Ninjas in the films. Various objects are scattered around the island and if you visit a shrine, important data on what is still needed is available from a wise chap who sits cross-legged on the top step.

Weapons can also be found, and among the file you may come across, the smoke bomb and throwing stars are the most useful. One thing I didn't like was the difficulty of getting out of a fight once I began losing.

The graphics are a bit blocky, the keys are a bit difficult to use, and the standard Mode 2 font on the supervisor screen gives an old feel to the game. But for me, it's the action that counts, and this certainly isn't bad. It isn't the best game this month but if you enjoyed Karate Combat and The Way Of The Exploding Fist then you could be attracted by it.

Sam Greenhill