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

Yet another solitary release this time around in what seems to have become the norm once more for VC releases, thankfully it's one that will please fans of a certain whip-and-wise-cracking adventurer. Anyway enough from me and on with the erm... game!

Available for download this week we have...

• Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures

Points: 800
Publisher: Lucasarts
Developer: Factor 5
Released: 1995
System: SNES

As a film series the original Indiana Jones trilogy is fondly remembered in the minds of many so it should come as no surprise that when the rights to produce a game from all three films were given to Factor 5 there was much reason for fans to rejoice. This turned out being one of the smartest moves the company made because what came about from this was a concise culmination of the greatest moments from the films brought to life in a way never before imagined.

Taking on the role of Indy you grab your whip and trusty hat as you play out every iconic scene in a most spectacular manner; this includes a wealth of stages starting with the majority based on Raiders of the Lost Ark followed by The Temple of Doom and nicely concluded with The Holy Grail, literally any major moment from these films you will get to play out and - hopefully - live through.

For the most part of the game you'll be platforming as you run, jump, swing and shoot your way through the stages for the ages providing you can obtain your equipment from one of the multiple backpacks found throughout the stages, not to mention a limited number of powerful grenades that can be used to dispatch with tougher enemies should you choose to use them. Indy can also swing a few punches which is very useful if you ever find yourself in a tight spot plus he has the ability to roll which can be used to either attack, dive or dodge depending on the situation.

Changing perspective and pace momentarily there are less than a handful of '3D' stages created using the famous Mode 7 technology which the SNES is renown for; this includes the mine cart chase and bi-plane stages which play well and are particularly impressive for their time especially when you consider how much else had been crammed into the cart. Visually the game is rather stunning and manages to recreate the set-pieces incredibly faithfully, add to this the sumptuous score ripped straight from the films and you have a winning, whip-cracking combination that's sure to impress.

Cast aside any memories of recent Indiana Jones games because they are but a mere shadow when compared to this splendid blend of everything that made the films great presented in excellent playable form. This is truly where it's at for fans of the series, if you missed this game the first time around then you owe it to yourself to get this now, you won't regret it for after playing it you will want for no other Indy games because it's just that good.

Verdict : Whip-cracking at its most wondrous.

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.