Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe's guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo's download service. Written by Sam C Gittins.

Another week has passed and another couple of games has appeared on the Virtual Console; and perhaps mercifully after last weeks majority of meritocracies bar one we have some reasonably playable offerings.

This weeks case of quality over quantity consists of the following games...

• NES Open Tournament Golf
• Ninja Spirit

Points: 500
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1992
System: NES

Golf... a game of seriousness, of skill, of precision and err yeah it's not actually that exciting at all; so it's no surprise that Nintendo decided to release this Mario themed variation of the popular sport as one of their more original takes on the sports based genre.

At it's core this is still very much what it portrays itself to be; a golf game where you get to play on three worldwide courses incorporating USA, UK and Japan. Each course varies in difficulty and you can opt to change the overall rank from amateur to pro which creates a nice learning curve for those wanting to rise through the ranks as well as catering for those who just simply want to play a quick round of golf.

Beyond the standard persistent pursuit of putting that is the main game; alternative offerings include Stroke Play which when separately undertaken (as opposed to being part of tournament mode) is solely goal focused and Match Play where playing as Mario you get to face off against Luigi in a bid to win the most holes. Should you prove successful in beating Luigi you then get to compete against four original generically named characters (Steve, Mark, Tony & Billy) who each vary in difficulty from Beginner to Pro respectively.

While graphically it's not much to look at by today's standards it still made full use of the limited colour palette that the NES provided to create a decent representation of the sport for it's time and even today it has a certain charm to it. Gameplay is suitably solid with accurate mechanics that work well and while there are now better golf games available such as the Mario Golf franchise and most recently Wii sports; this title could easily be seen as the forerunner of sorts and is comfortably competent for the 8-Bit title that it is.

NES Open is a title which delivers what you'd expect it to; a competent game of golf that anyone can enjoy. Fun in both single and multiplayer mode with that added brand of Nintendo humour courtesy of Mario & Co thrown in for good measure; this is classic retro golf which provides an entertaining experience.

Verdict: Neither a hole-in-one or a bogey, simply on par.

Points: 600
Publisher: Hudsonsoft
Developer: IREM SOFT
Released: 1990
System: Turbografx

Ninjas... many a game has either featured them or placed them in a starring role; over the years they have become as much as part of videogame subculture as they are in films and television shows. One fundamental difference with videogames is that they actually allow you to "be" a ninja as opposed to merely "watching".

And thats exactly what Ninja Spirit allows you to do; you take on the role of "Moonlight" a ninja from the 19th century who is plagued by an obscure memory of himself, as a wolf, witnessing his fathers death. To cut short and simplify this relatively unimportant plot the main character is a Ninja born and raised who is on a quest to discover his origins and of course, avenge his fathers death.

Putting the painfully predictable plot to one side; it's the gameplay which keeps everything moving along at a decent pace. While hardly original as it takes most of it's actions from similarly themed zeniths of the ninja-themed action genre such as Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden; it still manages to remains enjoyable in it's own right.

A commendable effort has clearly been made on the front of level design with a variety of enemies and traps placed in such a way that the game remains challenging but not often to the point of frustration. Other noteworthy elements include bemusing boss battles, gratuitously good graphics and a suitably subtle soundtrack.

While it's not on the same plain of greatness as Revenge of Shinobi and isn't as highly regarded as other examples of the genre; Ninja Spirit is still a nicely put together game thats fun to play and is recommended either if you enjoy the genre or are looking for an underrated but worthwhile piece of interactive entertainment.

Verdict: A worthy Ninja-based title thats surprisingly spirited.

And so ends another edition of VC Weekly, which will return soon. Until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!