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The first ZX Spectrum game release from Uprising Games is also an entry into the ZX-Dev MIA/Remakes Competition. Mister Kung-Fu, is a re-conversion of the 1984 classic arcade beat 'em up, Kung-Fu Master, by Irem/Data East.

Crash magazine issue 31, August 1986, said of the original release conversion to the 'Speccy', by U.S. Gold in 1986, "the use of colour is also quite bad" and "Overall, a very poor conversion from the arcade game". The rating given was only just passable scoring 56% overall. In my opinion they may have been a little lenient with that score, now though, some 32 years later, developer, Elton Bird, has remade it... but will it be any better?

In this side-scrolling beat-'em-up, you are Thomas, a Kung-Fu Master. One day you receive this awful note from the mysterious crime boss, Mr. X. It reads "Your love Silvia is in custody now. If you want to save your dear Silvia's life, come to the devil's temple at once. Five sons of the devil will entertain you." No time to waste, you get cracking to smash heads and break bones. At the core of the game is close one on one (or many) kung fu combat. Mister Kung-Fu is unique in this respect when compared with other games of its kind, as the fighting is limited to a confined space (whilst other kung-fu games are more expansive in moves you can perform, movement around the playing area and what your enemy can do to you).

Level one sees you moving right to left to reach the end of stage boss before you can move onto the next level. To do this though, an unstoppable conveyor belt of enemy come at you from left and right (in front and behind you) trying to stop you and they do a pretty good job of it too. The level is pretty full on with enemy and dare I say it, that's not even including the bandanna wearing dudes that throw knives at you. Switching to face your enemy, killing them off quickly is the only way to get the end of level boss and you'll want to be quick as you also need to beat a time limit. Get caught by the production line of henchmen, they will drain your energy bar as you try to break free of them and that's not good because, you'll want to have a full energy bar to face those knife throwing dudes and the end of level bosses. To defeat any of your attackers, you can perform leg sweeps, high kicks, punches to the body and head as well as crouch and jump (for avoidance measures) and my favourite move is the flying kick.

Progressing further into the game you will start a new level in the opposite to the previous so now on level two you move left to right and make your way to the end of level boss. New enemies appear and will provide a greater challenge. Tom Toms, are short fighters who can either grab you or perform somersaults to strike your character's head when he is crouching. On even numbered floors, you must also deal with falling balls and pots, snakes, poisonous moths, fire-breathing dragons, and exploding confetti balls. This is even harder than level one. Each of the bosses on the five floors have a different skill set and can be beaten much easier than the enemy you defeated to get to them. The boss of the fifth floor is Mr. X, the leader of the gang that kidnapped Sylvia. That is your ultimate goal, once he is defeated, you can rescue Sylvia and live happily ever after.

Mister Kung-Fu includes a nice bit of music in the 128K version. The thumping noise effects in game as you cut your opponents down to size is in the style of the original arcade version. The presentation looks fabulous, a vast improvement on the original and no colour clash.

The speed is the other attribute to this game that is far more superior to that of the original U.S. Gold conversion. It really is faster than a Bruce Lee nunchuck attack. It certainly has that Kung-Fu Master arcade feeling oozing out of its crouching leg sweep kicks. It looks and plays very much like the arcade version. Developer Elton Bird has done a terrific job of converting the arcade original version over to the ZX Spectrum. I found it very enjoyable to play.

Jumping manoeuvres were my biggest gripe. While the rest of the game felt fluid and fast, jumping seemed to be a little sluggish and frustrating in comparison. While jumping is annoying to a degree, the rest of the game, is a real challenge too. Don't think you are getting to the next level to save Sylvia any time soon, it has a high difficulty level This is probably where the game fails against its arcade original. The arcade game has a better responsiveness to jumping aspects of the game, which in a game like this is crucial to your enjoyment. Also regarding the game difficulty, if you are playing with a gamepad, like me, you will get a sore thumb quite quickly. Three lives just isn't enough for this game and that's probably what is making me score the game lower.

If you are like me, you are going to love this game, it has been brilliantly coded and put together, it really is an enjoyable arcade conversion/re-make. However, the high difficulty and not so fluid jumping manoeuvres may mar your gaming experience, reflecting poorly on the games staying power, but i guess that keeps you wanting to play more? If you are a fan of the original arcade version of Kung Fu Master, like me, you will love Mister Kung Fu too, and keep on getting those sore thumbs until you complete it [Which may be six months down the track! - Ed]. I have read online that developer Elton Bird has taken on board feedback from players, regarding their concerns about the game's difficulty, and has released further updates of the game addressing this issue. This version definitely deserves a 'FAB' rating and could easily have been much higher.