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

It's time for the Hanabi festival once again as we get two titles that were previously import only, one of them is something to write home about while the other is passable. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Ironclad
• Lode Runner

Points: 1000
Publisher: SNK
Developer: Saurus
Released: 1996
System: Neo Geo CD

In the sea of shooters that's available on the Virtual Console there are a handful of rarities that make the service worthwhile; that's not to say that the more common shooters aren't any good though but there is something satisfying about being able to purchase a game that's worth upwards of a hundred pounds on eBay in its physical form for a fraction of the price in virtual format and Ironclad is another very welcome addition.

Not only is it a rare title but it also manages to more than hold its own when pitted against many better recognised titles within the same genre. You're thrust into the pilot-seat of a two-part aircraft in the midst of a war that takes place in a fictional future setting; the plot is largely unimportant and soon takes a back-seat save a few lines of sporadically placed dialogue as you set about taking out helicopters, tanks and various walking mechanical units who are all hell-bent on getting in your way.

The interesting part comes in the form of a small spherical pod which you can choose to launch from your ship at the press of a button either by charging up or quickly releasing the relevant button; this causes it to shoot across the screen, taking out enemies as it goes and from wherever it is you can then shoot from both your ship and the pod simultaneously, this allows you to cover a much larger area owing to your pods sideways firing capability.

You have three ship variants available to you including the 'all-round' ship and ones that are either 'speed' or 'power' inclined, the choice that you make isn't of much consequence but it may help you on certain stages of which there are many with different paths that you can take adding replay value to this already excellent shooter. Power-ups go up two levels for your option pod and three for your ship, you have a 'super' attack button in addition to your regular attacks but using this will deplete one of your upgrades so use this destructive force only when you need to.

Visually this game truly stuns as it's rendered beautifully in three-dimensions, lots of effort has clearly been put into this aspect of the game because everything looks just as it should and makes for some excellent boss encounters especially nearer the end of the game. Audio is another strong point as each accompanying piece feels very complementary and adds to the overall experience as do the superb sound effects which are rich with detail and clarity.

What you get here is a concise culmination of shooters that have come before this blended in such a way to work with some bold new ideas that just all somehow works when it's all brought together. The end result is a scrolling shooter that's unlike any other you will have played previously as everything it borrows is made its own in the most masterful way that makes it such a joy to play.

Verdict : A simply stunning scrolling shooter.

Points: 500
Publisher: Br0derbund
Developer: Douglas E. Smith
Released: 1983
System: NES

This seems like a somewhat needless addition seeing as the superior Battle Lode Runner was released a couple of months back which begs the question, why would you want to take a step backwards? Well for anyone wanting to own the original this is your chance but for everyone else wanting the best version, it's already available at only one hundred points more and is far superior to this once classic game that has aged rather badly.

You take control of a guy called 'Lode' who loves nothing more than to collect treasure, to do this however he must traverse many dangerous areas full of ladders, pitfalls and lots of earth. Unfortunately for Lode he does not possess the ability to jump which is bothersome to say he least but for what he lacks in agility he makes up for in excavation skills as he can dig through the earth at the press of either action button.

It really is simple, all you do is go around the stage digging earth, avoiding enemies, collecting treasure, climbing ladders until you come to the level exit; then it's on to the next stage for... more of the same.

Basically if you're feeling nostalgic and want to play this game once again then go ahead, but for everyone else it's passable and not really worth downloading. If you want a Lode Runner game the battle variant that's already available and has been for some time would be more worthy of your points.

Verdict : A run-down and rather restricted title, one for the fans only.

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!

Sam Gittins
[email protected]

Looking for reviews on other Virtual Console games? Or a full list of games available on the system? Then Check out our Virtual Console Index Page.