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Just when you thought your case of the ninjas had cleared up, along comes another one. The third Last Ninja is really absolutely definitely certainly probably the last, Armakuni, the ninja in question, is currently teaching a ninja class somewhere in New York, following his struggle with the evil-syllabled Kunitoki in that city (see Last Ninja 2). Just as his students are about to start "Nunchukas and their Relevance to Today's Society," Armakuni is whipped off to Tibet to have a last fling with Kunitoki.

As usual, this means a beat-'em-up set across six levels, with the familiar isometric 3D view. Each level has a theme that corresponds to one of six elements: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Limbo and Void. Apparently, Buddhist temples have six chambers devoted to each element and because the ninja has to enter one of these temples at the end of the game to beat the baddie, he needs to win each level. If you don't quite follow the logic of this - good.

Wandering around the levels, you come across three things. One, Kunitoki's disciples - unpleasant people with substantially large ninja-damaging weapons. Kill them by punching and kicking. Two, weapons - like swords, nunchukas and shurikens. These can be used on the greeblies. Three, miscellaneous - odd objects like branches and bits of wood. These you can use to either manufacture weapons or solve certain puzzles. For instance, to make nunchukas - those flaily things Bruce Lee was always wanging about his head - you need to collect some wooden branches from a bush, and a chain from a hanging flower basket. A quick bit of DIY later and you've knocked yourself up a deadly weapon. Or you might use gunpowder to blow a rock off a ledge, so it falls into a gap and fills it, and you can then pass the screen. To complete each level, you need to find an exit scroll and duff up the end-of-level guardian. Each level contains part of another scrolls, the bits of which you need to collect in order to complete the entire game.

Last Ninja 3 is okay in its own way, but it's flawed quite badly. The movement system is so fussy that you need to spend the first ten or so games trying to master it. Because of the 3D, the ninja doesn't react to your joystick movements in the way you expect, which leads to all sorts of embarrassing falling-off-ledge-accidentally situations.

The object manufacturing idea is a good one and adds a little mystery to what could have been a straightforward findy-fighty game. The graphics are a tad disappointing though - they've got a sort of dingy, scrappy look. Passwords for each level mean you should eventually be able to complete the game.

If you've stuck with the Ninjas this far, you may as well get the final episode. If not, you might find the attraction of this hooded man with nunchukas a little mystifying.

1. Looks quite a bit like Ninja 2, but there's a much greater adventure element in this one.
2. The plot sounds a lot like First Samurai, and if you're looking for an Oriental beat-'em-up FS is a better bet.
3. Could have been really good with more professional graphics and some samples.