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The curse of sequels is upon the computer world - every half-successful game now seems to warrant a follow-up. Now sometimes this is a good idea - think of Repton - sometimes not. This particular game, I think, is half a good idea.

As a game pure and simple it is excellent and Peter Johnson has done an impeccable job of converting this Konami coin-op hit. But as part of a series it is disappointing: it is just too similar to the very popular Yie Ar Kung Fu.

If you haven't seen the original - preferring, perhaps, the rival charms of Karate Combat or Way Of The Exploding Fist - then I ought to tell you that you have to defeat a sequence of eight attackers, all with different styles, strengths and weaknesses. Some, for instance, throw stars, others just leap through the air at you!

The sequel follows the same sequence but with added details. For example, there is a wave of midget attackers, who can be defeated to earn bonuses, there are cups of Oo-Long Tea on some screens for extra energy and there are even spare portions of Chow Mein Noodle Powder. These all add interest.

The big drawback is the lack of a joystick option - the keyboard choice is awkward to say the least. That, and the lack of major differences between the original and the sequel, will limit the appeal of the game to kung-fu maniacs or BBC gamers who don't have the original.

A sad fate for such a well-programmed piece of software but sometimes originality needs to be prized as well...