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

Another two games added to the VC this week, from a "street" beat-em-up to a classic snail-smash-em-up. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Street Gangs
• Adventure Island

Points: 500
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Technos
Released: 1994
System: NES

So here we have a side scrolling beat em up, it has all the elements that you would expect from a game of it's genre including a storyline involving two guys, a gal, some bad dudes and an epic quest to rescue said female.

The game plays like something akin to Streets of Rage and Double Dragon with various fighting combos and weapons which you acquire more of throughout the adventure. There are various role playing elements too though including items for stat tracking and the like but otherwise it's business as usual as you travel from stage to stage beating up a slew of surly subordinates who get in your way.

After a barrage of beatings you will collect cash from defeating your enemies which you can use to purchase upgrades to your existing attacks which in turn enables you to take out more of them in an increasingly violent manner.

A co-op mode is available too so you can take to the streets as a dynamic duo, the gameplay remains largely the same but it's just more fun. Being part of the "Kunio-kun" series of games (popular in Japan, wiki it if interested) the game is full of character and while the game is largely basic visually and audibly it's the style and how it plays out which will most likely hold your interest.

While largely linear and by no means long lasting it still provides a somewhat refreshing take on a mostly monotonous genre full of clones of the few great titles that truly shine and while this does have passing similarities with some solid staples of the genre it has a style all of it's own which makes it a worthy purchase for fans of the genre as well as players who want something with slightly more depth.

Verdict : As "street" as it's name, an enjoyable game.

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

The original entry to a classic series which sees the adventure of main character Master Higgins as he journeys across a tropical paradise named Adventure Island in order to (you guessed it) save his girlfriend Tina from the evil Witch Doctor.

Your quest will take you though eight areas infested with a range of enemies but the basic gameplay revolves around zipping through the levels on a skateboard, crossing gaps and throwing hammers and fireballs at giant snails while you constantly gather fruit to replenish your constantly depleting health bar.

As if that wasn't challenging enough, hitting most enemies if not on your board results in instant death, there are a few checkpoints scattered throughout each level but it's nonetheless a trial by fire attempting to complete each increasingly difficult level. Boss battles revolve around facing off against the Witch Doctor who changes his head each time you face him into such things as that of a Rhino and a Hawk but it's the same required pattern to win each time so it's essentially a clone of the famous Bowser battles from Super Mario Bros.

Visually the game looks fine for a NES title, the music is annoyingly infectious (I can still remember one of the levels themes over a decade on!) but what really keeps you playing is the simple challenge of completion as evil as some of the levels can seem at times, it somehow keeps you coming back for the "one more go" which never is.

If you've exhausted the entire library of platform titles that the VC currently has to offer then give this a go, it's enjoyable and addictive even if a little frustrating at first it's still fun while it lasts and it's different enough from it's "new" counterpart (also available on the VC) to be worth downloading especially as it's the original and is cheaper too but still worth it's points.

Verdict : Super snail smashing superbness.

Thats 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.