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

Yet again no Paper mario this week but instead we have a couple of competent console conversions;

Available for download this week we have...

• Bloody Wolf
• Kirby's Dream Course

Points: 600
Publisher: Hudsonsoft
Developer: G-mode
Released: 1990
System: Turbografx

The top-down shooter genre, usually features two muscular male marines, guns and of course lots of things to shoot; those of you who have played the Capcom coin-up classic "Commando" will know exactly what to expect here. So prepare for an excursion through enemy territory blasting everything in your path to rescue the president; this is the realm of the Bloody Wolf...

For all it's unoriginal storyline and complete lack of originality Bloody Wolf may only be a straight-up shooter but what it does, it manages to do well. You take on the role of a commando as you carry out your rescue mission with a wealth of weapons at your disposal ranging from knives, machine guns and grenades.

And so you shoot, stab and sling your way through eight enemy encumbered environments from jungle to town and even detainment camp in which you must rescue POW's who will aid you in your assignment. While the action is mostly the same there is some variation derived from shooting riders off motorbikes and then using the vehicle to mow down merciless mercenaries.

It's a fun experience for the most part and even though you know whats coming next it's so well put together that the predictability pales into insignificance. Controls are clear and responsive, visuals are solid if a little dated with accompanying audio that complements the carnage. Updates have been applied for this conversion in the form of a whole extra level which serves to further the story.

Challenging in places with plenty to blast to bits, this will keep you entertained from start to finish and while it's certainly not a classic it's good while it lasts. The omission of a two-player mode and the occasional slow down are slight blows to an otherwise competent conversion.

Verdict : A respectable Rambo rehash.

Points: 800
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Hal
Released: 1995
System: SNES

Kirby the legendary vacuous pink spud has a go at Golf! in his own original way of course. Basically Kirby "is" the ball, you decide at what angle and speed he rolls in an attempt to hit enemies which are spread throughout the games crazy courses. Once all but one of the enemies remains that creature then turns into the hole; welcome to the wonderfully wacky world that is Kirby's Dream Course.

Taking an isometric viewpoint the title offers a decent range of well proportioned courses with the level of detail in design still standing up well even by todays standards. Each enemy that you encounter has an obtainable ability which can be used to your advantage in true Kirby fashion; transforming him into a rock, spike-ball and other transformations to use to your advantage.

Eight courses await you with varying vertices's and intermediate inclines to test your skills. These really are well designed courses with a subtle learning curve and while they won't take you long to complete after mastering the decent use of physics that the game employs there are always the gold medals to aim for.

Another solid distraction to the proceedings is the games two player mode in which you compete to obtain bonus stars and then go for the cup. With the added element of different attacks to use against your opponent this makes for a fun experience which adds a bit of longevity to the overall package.

It's a brave attempt at an original take on a sub sport, Golf games have come in all shapes and sizes over the years but they don't get much crazier than this. Kirby's Dream Course is both well rounded and fun to play in it's own right; with an amicable amount of replay value and commendable character this is worth it's points.

Verdict: A successful sport spin-off featuring Kirby.

Thats it for another week, VC Weekly will return again very soon with more VC Verdicts, so until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!

Sam Gittins
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