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Slice-and-dice action with a wire-whip and a tiny dressing gown...

There are more painful things in this world than playing Red Ninja - pushing splintery wooden shards into your stomach, for example - but, then again, you're not likely to pay 40 quid for that. Everything that Red Ninja does, it manages to do at a substandard level; even as a budget game it would be a serious let down. It's a soulless journey through gaming mediocrity - and it's not even that good at being bad.

There's a heavy reliance on stealth elements - silent kills, a 'seduction' move to lure foes (although look at her; she's pretty much got them out anyway) - but at no point is stealth properly rewarded. The Tetsugen, a knife on a wire, allows one-hit kills regardless of enemies' alert status. It's therefore easier to charge through levels, slicing up the troops rather than trying to sneak around for the occasional slit throat. And it's also worth noting that the guards' ability to detect you seems to be decided at random. Sometimes you'll be seen from a distance, other times you can walk centimetres from a soldier and escape undetected.

It's a mess of ideas we've seen before, and none of them executed with style. The targeting, camera and controls are imprecise - not totally broken, but unresponsive and awkward. Despite the allure of lady flesh and an interesting weapon, Red Ninja is executed with all the elegance and flair of a damp flannel.

Graphics 60%
Pretty in places but rarely stands out.

Sound 40%
Nondescript and uninspiring.

Gameplay 40%
Repetitive and flat.

Lifespan 30%
Not a lot to keep you interested.

Overall 40%
A lacklustre stain on the stealth genre. Repetitive and lacking in imagination, Red Ninja is a better idea than it is a game.