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Fresh from freeing himself from the curse that turned him into a wretched, deformed Dragon-Man, Shion the Wonderboy was feeling rather happy with himself... and why not?

But that was before the monsters arrived from another dimension, spreading fear, evil and destruction throughout the fair land that is Wonderboy's home. Deciding that demonic infestation of his country isn't good for him, Shion decides to grab his trusty sword, Gradius, and set off on an all-new adventure. His aim: to rid the kingdom of every monster that dares set foot in it!

Wonderboy In Monster World takes the basic game style of Wonderboy III, incorporating the scrolling platform action with meanie-bashing and puzzle-solving. Do you have the necessary IQ and arcade skils required to take Shion to victory against the monsters?

Wonderboy was originally a Sega coin-op, converted to the Master System ages ago. This is yet another sequel, in the mould of Wonderboy.

Punch Attack: Push the button rapidly for light attack

You won't get very far in this game unless you talk to every one of the characters walking around the towns, castles and forests. Just stand next to them and press up to let them speak their words of wisdom. Often, these helpful souls hand you the solution to a puzzle on a plate!

Shion has access to six different magical powers in his latest adventure. Fire Storm is handed out at the beginning of the game and homes-in on meanies, burning them to a crisp. Other spells available include Return (useful to escape a tricky situation), Thunder and Shield (guess what they do!). These other magical spells are awarded later on in the game. Use them with care!

A press of the Master System's PAUSE button reveals the inventory screen. This enables you to change the current weapon, armour, boots, shield and special item that Shion is carrying or using. The option also exists to change the magical power Wonderboy has selected.

In every one of the towns in the game, Shion finds inns and shops guaranteed to help him out on his quest. For a nominal fee, inns enable Wonderboy to regain any lost energy (and indeed save his current position). Shops are essential in upgrading Shion's weaponry and armour. Just walk under the object and press up to see if you have the necessary cash required to purchase the item.

Well, just like Wonderboy III, Wonderboy In Monster World is a vast, sprawling arcade adventure with loads of hours of adventuring contained therein. I spent a few hours on the game before realising that I'd rather plug in Wonderboy III for a play - it's a lot more playable, exciting and challenging.

This game just seems to be a case of killing monsters, solving the odd puzzle, finding the next boss and beating it up.

The graphics are pretty good and depict the actin well. The sound consists of slow, annoying tinkly tunes in which the Master System seems to excel.

I think the game will go down well with Wonderboy III fans after a new challenge because it is quite a good laugh, but they'll probably whizz through it because it isn't really that taxing.

For Master System owners after the definitive RPG/arcade adventure, Wonderboy III still reigns supreme.

The Megadrive version of Wonderboy In Monsterland was one of the best games of the summer, so I was a bit miffed when the office copy went 'awa'.

Now I've no need to worry, because the Master System version is almost exactly the same! The graphics are really, really neat with some excellent sprites and colourful backdrops, well in excess of the average Master System game.

The actual game itself is the same brilliant mix of clever, time-consuming puzzles and monster killing. The puzzle of the Ocarina and the fairies is the same, and all the layouts are identical.

Wonderboy is a healthy-looking sprite, and very responsive to the controls. The depth of the game is massive, with hours and hours of brilliant gameplay before the end is reached. Again, this is one of the reaons to get a Power Base convertor - or even a Master System! Because Monsterland is one of the best arcade adventures ever!

Presentation 51%
P. The password option is the only decent presentation point.
N. Otherwise a bit of a presentation debacle.

Graphics 79%
P. Nice, colourful backdrops abound.
N. The sprites are a tad pathetic.

Sound 40%
N. Sadness incarnate in the form of tedious, tinkly tunes and inappropriate effects.

Playability 86%
P. A decent combination of combat, exploration and puzzle-solving. Very easy to get into as well, with a large quest to get your teeth into.

Lastability 89%
P. A massive quest contained in the cart that should have you coming back for months in order to complete it.

Overall 88%
Not as good as Wonderboy III, but still an excellent arcade adventure offering a great challenge.