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The Kids have been kidnapped! Unfortunately, it's not the crappy pop group, but actually some real children who have been nabbed by a mysterious bunch of smelly criminals. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to rescue the brats and gather info about the organisation behind this heinous crime.

Manta has an infinite supply of shuriken to help him on the journey, but kicking, jumping and somersaulting are also part of the repertoire. This helps, as the gang members carry guns - jumping bullets is a skill well worth learning. Information in the form of notes is scattered around the levels and points out secret rooms and bonuses.

End-of-level guardians present the toughest challenge in the hero's journey, and each has a certain weak point Manta must discover and exploit. So put on a silk balaclava and get going!

Ninja grew out of the political situation in feudal Japan. Samurai, the knights beholden to their lords, had to follow a strict moral code in all their actions. So when a lord needed something underhand done - an assassination, for example - he would hire a Ninja to carry the task out.

The Ninja were a secretive organisation who practised ninjitsu, the art of stealth, weapons, and murder. Not the sort of people with whom to argue politics!

Some baddies can be grabbed by Manta and forced to talk. However, most of them have absolutely nothing to use to tell, and just plead their ignorance.

But some reveal important info as to the whereabouts of gang leaders and the captured children. Manta simply has to walk up to the baddies and grab them by the throat to start them spilling the beans.

Hee-ya! My secret life as a Ninja makes me eminently suitable to review this game. I'm a big fan of beat-'em-ups, but this really had nothing to make it stand out from the crowd.

There aren't any interesting moves you can perform - just throwing shuriken and jumping - and the backdrops are uniformbly dull and drab. Still, there's nothing like kicking the crepe paper out of baddies, and this gives you the chance to let off steam.

The hidden rooms are clever, but this game suffers in comparison with, say, Double Dragon II.

There are many things I like about this game, such as the fabulous between-level screens which tell a story, the fact that there are loads of secret rooms, and that the gameplay is fun with quite a bit of variety - especially the madcap flying ninja level where he looks like he's been strapped to flying bed.

However, these decent features are let down by the naff in-game graphics (the sprites are awful and the animation is poor) and the rather average sound. Wrath Of The Black Manta is a pretty good Shinobi-type game, and should be enjoyed by ardent beat-'em-fans.

Presentation 82%
Multiple intro screens telling the story behind the game.

Graphics 69%
Fairly basic sprites, with poor animation. The backdrops are no better.

Sound 67%
Plinky-plonk all the way!

Playability 80%
Enjoyable, with plenty of secret rooms to discover.

Lastability 71%
It's quite tough, but doesn't have the really addictive spark that'll keep you coming back for more.

Overall 73%
A reasonably fun beat-'em-up let down by poor graphics and sound.