Byte Back
£2.99

You are Kendo (I thought that was the make of my mum's mixer!), a ninja warrior with a mission, a mission to survive (hey that sounded good didn't it?). Using all your skill you must battle your way past the enemy and rescue the secret documents which they've stolen. Having done this, you make your escape via the awaiting helicopter and live to fight another day.

That's all very well, but what it really means is that this is another ninja beat 'em up to go along with the fifteen billion you already own. Though Kendo Warrior is one of the better ones, with some good looking graphics, even if they are mostly boring white monochrome, and an in-game tune. Instead of the action taking place on a horizontal scrolling background this is a split screen type. You can jump up through the roof (powerful legs!), or down through the floor, as well as going left and right into the various screens.

Not only do you get enemies hitting you with sticks and throwing bombs at you on the ground, but also gun turrets and cannons stuck to the ceiling and walls. These spray out bullets in a set area and are best avoided as they cannot be shot or hit. The presentation of the game is of a high standard as with all the other Byte Back games I've seen.

Kendo Warrior doesn't hold anything new, but there's challenge in it for a hardened games player. A fun beat 'em up.

BARGAIN BASEMENT

He's strong, firm but fair, extraordinarily good-looking and what's more he's been put in charge of the Bargs again. Jonathan Davies, my man...

Byte Back
£2.99
Reviewer: Jonathan Davies

Would you believe - someone's managed to find a martial art that hasn't already been converted to the Speccy. A big step forward eh? And what's more they've made quite a neat little game out of it. Nothing too original, you understand, but at least they haven I gone drastically wrong anywhere.

Kendo, from what I can work out, seems to be a case of waving a sword about and hoping that someone's standing in the way. At least, that was the technique I managed to perfect. Kendo Warrior is spread over loads of screens, some of which are blocked off by force fields, and others by gun turrets which shoot at random. The building which all this takes place in (which turns out to be an enemy headquarters of some kind) is also patrolled by various kinds of fiendish foe. The ones I've encountered so far have taken either human or canine form, and have physically abused me in a variety of different ways. There also appears to be a slight adventure tendency to the game, with one or two puzzles to be solved.

The graphics are definitely above average, it's fun to play, and worth giving a go.

Byteback
Spectrum/C64 £2.99

Grab your Kendo Sword and go for a run through a flip-screen enemy base. There's secret documents in them thar offices, but nasty martial artists and large dogs don't want you to get them. There are also energy walls around which you can only pass through if your shield is charged up with the right sort of energy.

For the most part play seems to consist of running or rolling between recharging points, smacking the bad guys around and... that's about it. The combat isn't bad, which is lucky, because the "find the useful objects to solve the puzzles" bit isn't very engrossing. Not bad for the price.