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Oh dear. All the kiddies from your Oriental village have been kidnapped again. Who's to blame for this diabolical deed? That nasty inscrutable Ryu Ken Oh, that's who. And you are rather concerned by his evil doings. For you are Lee Wong; a Ninja Samurai headcase.

You have volunteered to get the young 'uns back safely. This means battling your way through dozens of differing enemies, chopping up large guards and slicing through hordes of Ken's enthusiastic followers.

Your violent journey along the "Tiger Road" is divided into distinct levels; you first enter a castle and do battle with the assorted characters therein. There are giants, devils, mutants and barrels. These need to be jumped over. Yes, Tiger Road incorporates a version of that old 'jump over the rolling barrels' chestnut. As if this wasn't enough, there are blokes throwing spears, Malaysian fighting kites and other frustrating obstacles to overcome before you complete your quest. Each screen involves running, jumping, avoiding and slaying, and it's all against the clock too.

Tiger Road is, in all honesty, showing its age now. Both the idea and the action are dated, but, perhaps surprisingly, it is great fun to play. There is a pseudo-oriental tune which tinkles along throughout the game, and there are also other occasional spot sound effects. Graphics are big and colourful, if not exactly sophisticated, and everything is fast enough not to be irritating. It isn't especially smooth, though - another indication of its age.

Overall, Tiger Road is one of the better budgets. If you are still interested in the concept of martial arts/platform games, then this has it all. And it has that single most important quality - it's infuriatingly addictive.

Blocky and slow - I don't know what all the fuss is about. Mind you, it is still a pretty polished effort for a budget game.

8,000 points.

Graphics 68%
P. Old-fashioned, but fun.

Sonics 65%
P. Quirky little tune with extra sounds.

Grab Factor 76%
P. Grabs you by the prawns!

Staying Power 71%
P. You've just got to free those kids!

Overall 70%
P. You'll have a yen to play it (Groan!)