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Every dog has its day, so they say. According to US Gold, some of them earn an extra bone and biscuit by helping out Ninjas who protect American cities from rampant evil-doers. Are these people barking mad or what?

Your training has been long and arduous, my pupil. Through gruelling challenges and the very strictest discipline have you prevailed. Your skills have been finely tuned, your body honed to its physical peak and your mind cleared of all but its one true and noble aim - ridding this city of the vile disease that is terrorism. I as your master wish you luck. Go forth young man and carry out the task that is yours by virtue of your birth. Oh yes, and take that fiippin' flea-bitten mutt with you.

Yes, feasibility has been thrown out of the window for this one. A highly trained Ninja and his dog are off to wage war on the terrorist aggressors of an American city. Personally I think a heavily armed force of marines would be more appropriate but then, reality this ain't. The object of each mission is very simply to collect a number of time bombs, which the terrorists have planted. Your white garbed Ninja has a limited yet highly powerful number of moves and abilities at his disposal.

He can walk, crouch 'n' shuffle and leap great distances left and right. Whilst doing all of these things he can also throw volleys of shurikens at the enemy (he obviously has the patent Ninja rapid fire arm fitted). When faced with a platform either above or below him, he can perform a spectacular leap to reach it. Furthermore, his trusty dog follows his every move. Why? Read on...

By and large your 'pedigree' chum proves useless and simply rubs up and down your Ninja leg, but in certain situations when you can't get a clear shot at an opponent without being wasted, he really comes into his own. Holding the fire button on your 'stick causes Fido to toddle off and savage the opponent. Thus occupied with these canine advances, he stops firing, leaving you free to leap up and blast him to kingdom come. At the start of the game you also have three lots of magic, accessed by the space bar. Magic kills everything on screen.

There are four missions to complete which in total comprise fifteen stages. Most of these make up the main body of the game and consist of various platforms against a variety of backdrops. There's an airport to get through, a large train to leap along and mossy caverns to climb. All this while fending off the the enemies' attacks. At the end of each mission comes the end-of-level challenge. A giant Samurai throws fireballs first, there's a heavily armoured shell-firing train second, and level three features a huge slab-hurling woman who threatens to flatten you.

Just to add to the variety you also get to try out the impressive bonus level. This is a single screen in which you look up at a large stepped tower. Ninjas appear from doorways and leap down the levels just begging to be shurikened to death. If, however, you allow one to reach the bottom, he leaps out at you filling pretty much the whole screen and thereby letting you know that, er... you blew it.

Throughout the platform levels there's a flock - nay, gaggle - of opponents to defeat: bog standard shooting folk who you can despatch a single shot, slightly harder dudes who fire lasers, snipers who need to feel the sharp end of Fido's teeth and small Ninjas of various colours who are agile and tough. They possess shields which makes killing them quickly a real headache.

Basically Shadow Dancer is a wonderfully playable game. The only reason it's not a Corker is that there's nothing truly original or outstanding about it. Those features it does. boast, though, are excellently implemented. The graphics are varied and interesting, the playability is massive and the gameplay ever changing. It's difficult but not impossible to complete. Basically, a highly polished and challenging game that no-one can really afford to miss.

1. Not the most original of concepts.
2. Decidedly average sound effects.
3. Main sprite is a bit naff.

1. Loadsalevels to get your canines into (groan!).
2. Variety between levels keeps boredom at bay.
3. Scenic graphics are varied and beautifully defined.
4. Fast action: your Ninja is highly manoeuvrable and quick firing.
5. End-of-level guardians are large and tough.
6. Well placed hazards. Each time you play you'll learn a little more from your previous mistakes.