KARATE games predate the Amiga by several years. Since then many attempts have been made to spruce them up - scrolling backdrops, swords and a variety of opponents - but the key thing has always been how good the fighting feels.

The main gimmick in IK+ (International Karate plus) is the number of opponents. While Barbarian has a variety of guys trying to thwack your head off, IK+ has only two men coming at you. But they do so together.
Two against one may not be fair but it is much more fun. And in a two player game you and a friend can beat the pixels out of the computer's man.

There are several other gimmicks - cute ones. The single backdrop has a number of animations. The tree sheds leaves which pile up and get eaten by a worm. A spider drops on a thread and a pac-man wanders about.
The sun's ripples reflect in the sea as it laps the shore - you can alter the colours in the water. Fish jump out of the sea with a neat splash and a periscope pops up to view the fight.
The slick presentation is carried on to the title pages. A logo dripping blood had to be changed after some complaints. Instructions are shown with 66 sprites performing moves around the border and the high score table starts with some hints. But you are too busy ducking exploding fists and flying feet.

In a three way fight the winner is decided on combat points. If you attack from the front you score two combat points for each successful move. The first of the three players to score six combat points is the winner, and is awarded extra points for every second left. If the fight lasts 30 seconds the winner is the player with most combat points.
If you have the lowest score at the end of a round the game ends. If one human player loses in a two player game the remaining person has to take on two computer players.

Fighting gets tougher as the game progresses, with the computer adopting different tactics. Sometimes both of the computer's players will gang up on you, sometimes they will fight among themselves and sometimes they will both run away and block so that you cant score any points.

Whatever the tactics, every couple of bouts is punctuated by a bonus level. This either takes the form of bouncing balls, which must be deflected with a shield, or a screen littered with bombs. You must kick the bombs off the screen before they explode.
More bombs appear, faster and faster. Clear the sheet and you awarded 5,000 points. The bomb level is a good way to learn how far your low kick stretches.
Movements can be combined, so you don't have to return to the vulnerable standing position in the middle of seeing off an opponent. This makes the fighting the slickest yet on the Amiga and bouts flow fast and furious.
I kept playing despite a hand which ached from gripping the joystick too hard and too long.

Words almost fail me (but not quite). This is definitely the hippest, not to mention best, beat 'em up on the Amiga yet. Even on your first go you cannot help but notice that it is the same game as the 64 original but one full rung up the evolutionary ladder. To start with, the main title screen features really smart little multi-coloured men bounding round the corners of the screen to a funky toon. This does wonders for first impressions.

I am not going to dwell any longer on comparison between this and the 64 version, there aren't any. The backdrop is fantastic; though sadly there is only the 'one' (don't bring them into it. Ed). This is compensated by all the different things that happen there. Leaves fall slowly from trees, birds fly across the horizon, fish jump out of the water, periscopes pop up, and even Pac Man puts in a cameo appearance. And with the super 'hidden key' combinations you can alter the backdrop colours, the judge and make all the respective features appear at your command. A visual treat.

Almost as impressive are the foreground warrior sprites. All three move with amazing speed, clarity and animation. They perform an array of moves which number well into double figures. High kicks, low kicks, sweeps and a fantastic double kick whereby the character jumps into the air and kicks a leg out at either side. Let me tell you if you can clump the two other fighters simultaneously with this is looks a mite impressive.

When a guy is hit he jumps into the air with a howling cry then lies spread out for a few seconds, stars orbiting around his battered cranium. My fave move though is the punch, quite simply a straightforward gob smack, but, phew, it looks good. Where defence is concerned, you can block. Moving the joystick from an opponent at the same time he goes to thump you results in an effective block, or you can just back flip out of trouble.

Points are scored for the accuracy of a move, one point for a clean hit, two for a clean cut thwacking. The first one to score six points, or the player with the most points at the end of the thirty second bout wins, whilst the person with the lowest score is disqualified, unless he is computer controlled. As you score more points you go up in belts, shown by the colour of the belt and headband of the fighter.

The sound seems as though it has been directly digitised from a karate B-movie. It contains loads of over the top screams and groans as kicks fly, along with a few meaty thwacks. An excellent tune plays throughout the game.

IK+ is an immensely playable game. On the later levels though, the action gets incredibly fast and half the time you can only guess at what the moves are, and to make it worse the computer player(s) start getting really accurate with their blows. They waltz up to one of the combatants and completely flatten them with a volley of hugely offensive moves. They also retain a sort of alternating personality, one moment there is a free for all, the next they are ganging up on you.

IK+ was the best beat 'em up on the 64 and now it is proved to be the same on the Amiga. An essential purchase.

Everyone's idea of a jolly good time, I'm sure: getting repeatedly hit by orientals of diminutive stature, wearing baggy pyjamas with bright coloured belts on. What a spiffing wheeze, eh?

Instead of the usual 'you against the computer baddy' playing style, your nerve, skill and reflexes are now pitted against TWO opposing martial artists, in an all-out struggle for glory and survival.

The massacre takes place by a secluded Far Eastern beach. You've got a wide selection of suitably violent moves and your main aim in each level is to fill the six circle symbol thingies at the top of the screen.

Each stage survived moves you a step closer to receiving a higher Dan or skill level and a change in belt colour. Your ultimate goal in life is to reach the coveted Black Belt status, and the only way to do that is to continually smack, punch and generally abuse your way through a multitude of steadily harder challengers. Good, eh?

Every two levels there's one of two bonus stages: either deflect bouncing balls using a shield or kick and dodge a series of bombs. Aaa-so.