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You just can't keep a good bad guy down, er... Try that again. Twice have the skills of System 3's greatest warrior hero defeated evil shogun Kunitoki. Now, Kunitoki and Armakuni meet for the final showdown in a vast 512K cartridge game

The battle between the evil Shogun, Kunitoki, and the last Ninja, Armakuni, has been waged across time and space. Twice Kunitoki has been defeated and twice he has cheated death: his spirit form was only despatched - now he lives again...

Armakuni faces his greatest challenge. Kunitoki has returned to medieval times and invaded the Tibetan temple of Shao Lin - mystic source of the Ninjas' magic. Kunitoki's evil influence is corrupting the pure magical force of the temple. As his influence spreads, so Armakuni's Ninjutsu energy is being eroded. If Kunitoki is not defeated once and for all, the order of the Ninja will disappear forever (ooh crikey!).

The game opens with a superb three minute intro sequence, which shows Armakuni making his way across the desert towards the temple. It's interspersed with the production credits, movie style. The whole intro is a whopping great 64K long - as much as a whole game! - and really sets the tone for what's to come.

Anyone who has played The Last Ninja, Last Ninja 2 or Ninja Remix will be familiar with the style of gameplay. Armakuni is guided through a flick-screen 3D world viewed from slightly above. Each scene takes a second or two to draw, due mainly to the incredibly detailed graphics - easily among the best C64 game graphics ever seen. By the way, as well as the Ninja games, this 'graphic engine' (the program that draws the most complicated things it can as simply and quickly as it can) was also used in Time Machine (see Gamebusters, this ish).

Having sneaked into the temple, our Ninja hero must battle and puzzle his way through five elemental chambers in order to face Kunitoki in a fight to the death. The temple is split into five distinct elemental areas: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire and Void (yes, we now know Void isn't an element, but apparently the Japanese reckoned it was, so there).

Each chamber has puzzles which are typical of that element. For instance, in the Fire chamber, there's a complex puzzle which involves molten metal and a lost key. Likewise, in the Water chamber you have to use your amazing Ninja powers of deduction to stop a waterfall from flowing. The puzzles are slightly more complex than before, but still follow the same method of searching for specific items which are then used on later screens. Oh, and in case you already know what I mean, it's now a lot easier to pick objects up. Also, Last Ninja 3 employs a prayer wheel, a device which opens on the screen to reveal any collectibles in your immediate vicinity - a distinct improvement over previous Ninjas, where useful items were highlighted briefly when you entered a new screen.

While all this collecting and puzzling is going on, Kunitoki's henchmen are doing their best to relieve you of a limb or two. Baddies lounging in the opening chambers don't prove too much of a problem but later levels rely less on puzzles and more on butt-kicking. By the time you manage to reach the Void chamber, the puzzle element is replaced completely by a 'getting the crap beaten out of you' element. So be warned. Here, you have to make your way round walkways suspended maze-like in space. While you're doing all this, prepare to be viciously assailed by vicious assailants. All the baddies on this level are masters of Ninjutsu and can take a fair amount of damage as well as deal it out.

Having solved your puzzles and defeated the foe, it only remains for you to collect the hidden scroll which allows entrance to the next level - once you've defeated the chamber guardian. Er... sorry about that. Forgot to mention that there's a fairly evil guardian to kill before entering the next chamber.

Last Ninja 3 is a game of epic proportions. There is almost nothing to fault it on - the presentation is superb, with stunning intro and outro sequences, smart high-score lists, grisly game over screens and some great soundtracks. The gameplay's blend of exploration, puzzles and combat will daze you. And the attention to detail is amazing, from the immaculate 3D to the animated scenery to the comfy control method.

The Last Ninja series has made thousands of fans so most people would buy this even if it was simply more of the same. However, with the tweaks and improvements in gameplay and graphics, plus the advantage of instant loading, it's no exaggeration to say that Last Ninja 3 marks a new high for C64 gaming. Treat yourself to something very special indeed.

1. Only really lacking in originality.

1. Tremendous amount of variety in visuals, sound and the all-important gameplay.
2. Animation on the different sprites is simply superb.
3. Complex control method is handled very well.
4. Wonderful touches throughout, like background animation.
5. Utterly convincing 3D scenes.
6. Five huge levels - no finishing this one overnight!
7. Terrific mix of puzzle-solving combat and adventure - more interactive movie than game.
8. Beautiful presentation throughout. And what an intro!
9. Thought-provoking problems add extra depth to the game.