Alex kidd in shinobi world Review by Shion


   'Alex Kidd in Miracle World' is one of the most highly-acclaimed

 Master System games around, and probably the most popular platformer

 for the system. A lot of people are also familiar with the second and

 third instalments in the series, 'Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars' and 'Alex

 Kidd in High Tech World,' which sucked, as most people would agree.


   A less well-known release is 'Alex Kidd in Shinobi World,' the 

fourth (or fifth, if you live in Japan) SMS Alex game. Many people have

 requested a ROM of this game, and it has finally been dumped and made

 available.

   It's Alex Kidd with a Shinobi theme. A very strong Shinobi theme.

 The levels, enemies and bosses are very similar to those of Shinobi,

 but you'll instantly recognise it as an Alex Kidd game. A good one, 

too. Nearly as good as the original, unlike the cruddy second and third

 releases.


   The idea of this one is to rescue Alex's girlfriend from the 

clutches of the evil dark ninja, who has kidnapped her and plans to 

take over the world, and to foil his plans, using ninja powers given by

 the good white ninja. There's twelve levels to complete, but the game 

is extremely easy. You'll probably whizz through it in little or no 

time.


   Control is similar to the original Alex Kidd, but jerkier with more

 scrambling around. Your standard weapon is a sword, but you can use 

long-range darts (spears) instead if you find them. There's also a few

 special moves thrown into it, such as the ability to grab onto a pole 

and start swinging around into a kamikaze-type fireball (getting rid of

 all enemies in your way when you take off), jump from wall to wall, 

and skip on water, too. If you find the right power-up, you'll be 

transformed into a raging tornado temporarily.


   The graphics are the usual Alex Kidd 'colourful and cute.' A 

controlled sort of colourful and cute, though. Not a sickening sort of 

colourful and cute, as in Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars. Very nicely 

presented visually. With traces of both Alex and Shinobi, as with the 

rest of the game, the sweet music adds to the fun.


      If you haven't sampled this game before, grab the ROM from right 

here at SMScene or Emu camp. It's not very challenging and it's pretty 

shallow. And I wouldn't class it as one of the best games on Master 

System. But it's good fun (which is what games are all about). And it's

 Alex. ;)