Quite where Shadow Dancer stands in the long line of Shinobi sequels beats me, but the basic gameplay is pretty much the same as in the popular Sega coin-op, with literally hundreds of evil ninjas to maim and kill using your unlimited supply of throwing stars and a trusty sword.

However, in a new twist to the genre, the heroic ninja is no longer alone in his quest, and is backed up by a faithful canine chum who can be sent ahead to weaken or kill any waiting assailants. Unfortunately, though, this belated addition to the repetitive action (admittedly a fault of the original coin-op) isn't enough to save the game from mediocrity.

Shadow Dancer takes place over four stages, which are broken up into fifteen smaller sub-levels. The scenario tells of an organised band of terrorists who have seized control of a space shuttle and are threatening the lives of the passengers with a number of bombs.

In addition, a number of larger devices have been secreted throughout the surrounding area and are set to explode unless the group's demands are met. Enter the Ninja, armed with his trusty hound, an unlimited supply of throwing stars, a sword, and a limited supply of 'ninja magic' - which act like smart bombs when activated, clearing the screen of attackers and flak.

Each level is made up of a number of platforms and scrolls in the usual eight directions. Scattered throughout each of these stages are a number of primed explosives which must be collected before the level is cleared.

Control over the ninja is simplicity itself, with the joystick sending him jumping, running and ducking, whilst these combinations and the fire-buttons allow him to jump onto the the higher ledges or even behind fences, where the explosives are regularly hidden.

Finally, the ninja's weaponry is accessed whenever the fire-button is pressed, although the visually impressive magic is activated by a quick press of the space bar.

In terms of presentation and content, Shadow Dancer is a very close conversion. Sadly, though, its addictive potential is let down by a few very annoying mistakes - the most notable being the awful sprite detection which allows the enemy's bullets to strike home before they come anywhere near you.

In addition, there are sections where the ninja must jump down a level, but there is no way of seeing what's below and normally results in another unnecessary loss of life when you hit an attacker. These faults mar a otherwise enjoyable conversion.

The idea of the dog is a good one and allows the player to clear a path ahead. The between level bonus game is also well implemented, but the game's faults tend to take the edge of the plus points, leaving Shadow Dancer as a decidedly average game.

Terrorists have launched a massive, coordinated strike against America with hundreds of crack soldiers invading Florida. This awesome combat force has infiltrated numerous civilian establishments and planted explosives, making a conventional military response impossible.

So it's time to call Shadow Dancer, the eponymous hero of Shinobi who rescued a group of hostages from a vicious street gang in downtown LA. Saving Florida is a more formidable challenge, but fortunately he's now got a snazzy new nickname and a secret weapon: a vicious pet dog (which on the Amiga shrinks to chihuahua-size when hit!).

The terrorists arrived on a civilian airliner which landed at Miami airport and was promptly seized, then wired with explosives. Shadow Dancer starts here, aiming to defeat the terrorists and learn where they went from here. The concourse, cargo loading area and inside a speeding aircraft form the three airport stages: the first two contain plenty of bombs, all of which need to be collected before the stage can be finished. The third stage sees the Shadow Dancer go head-to-head with a giant shogun throwing fireballs. Defeat him and a bonus stage begins.

Shadow Dancer stands at the base of a tower, down which are leaping hordes or enemy ninjas. In this first-person perspective scene you have control of Shadow's hand and must ill the ninjas before they get all the way down the building. Succeed and bonus points, magic and credits are awarded.

The next mission sees Shadow going after the supply route the terrorists have set up, including a railroad (battle on top of a speeding train), bridge and freight station (fight a train!). It's here that enemy ninjas make their first real appearance, jumping onto the screen and using their staves to deflect your shuriken. Hang around too long and yet more ninjas arrive. On the Amiga this mission has an extra level.

Due to memory restrictions programmers have redesigned the C64 game so it's made up of five missions, or loads, each with three stages. The Amiga game is the same as the arcade, with four missions but the same number of stages. On both versions later missions bring a factory, sewers, waterfall and a shuttle base.

The main game, where Shadow is collecting the bombs, usually boasts multidirectional scrolling with our hero capable of special leaps to jump onto higher levels. His weapon is basically an unlimited number of shurikens which can be thrown from a crouching, standing or leaping position. They can't be fired diagonally, so winkling out machine-gun-armed soldiers beneath you can be difficult.

If you don't want to risk leaping between his bullets you can hold down fire to send your dog on the attack. Baddies can't fire while he's savaging them, allowing you to get close and kill them. If you take too long the dog is wounded and unable to attack for a short time. Another weapon is magic, a smart bomb activated by the space bar which kills everything on screen (except mega-monsters which can take several magics to die).