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

Well ok so that isn't all but as well as the third installment in a classic C64 franchise we also have another Commodore 64 sequel and a somewhat original platform title, no appearance from a certain Squaresoft RPG yet but hold out for another week, as I'm sure Nintendo won't want to disappoint with it's Christmas gift this year. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Last Ninja 3
• Impossible Mission 2
• Boogerman

Points: 500
Publisher: System 3
Developer: System 3
Released: 1991
System: C64

Easily one of if not the best series ever to grace the C64, the Last Ninja games truly have got greater with each epic installment, following one from the the first solid sequel this third iteration manages to improve upon the formula once again with everything being tweaked to perfection with the end result being nothing short of stunning.

It becomes evident from the impressive (for it's time) intro which sets the scene nicely and the graphical standard for the rest of the game; much of the engine was built from the ground up for this version and it certainly shows. Each and every detail from the character, beautiful backdrops and even the status bar is particularly well polished and features some astounding animation as well.

Aurally awesome as always a super soundtrack brings everything together nicely, while personally I think it's as good as the second installment in this department, purists may prefer the previous efforts but to be blunt it's all good and makes masterful use of the hardware to deliver something that sounds exceptional to the ears.

On the gameplay front the classic culmination of puzzles and combat returns once more but has been refined in many small ways that add up to a big difference; the puzzles are now slightly harder with clever use of an item combination system while on the combat side the all new Bushido system makes the frequent combat sections much more enjoyable and balanced. Of course you can still flee from fights but if you do you may miss out on things that may make your adventure less arduous; everything is a lot more responsive now too which is makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

So what you are left with is basically the same kind of game as the previous two installments but mostly bigger, better and bolder; If you have never experienced any of the games from this series then I would recommend you start with the first and work your way through them but realistically if you only have time to play one of them then make it this one as it perfectly encompasses everything that makes it so great.

Verdict : The last Ninja title in the series and the best.

Points: 500
Publisher: Epyx
Developer: Novotrade
Released: 1988
System: C64

A direct sequel to the original Impossible Mission, it starts off with the evil Elvin Atombender seeking revenge and it's your job to stop him; taking place in a fortress consisting of nine towers constructed in a circle of sorts with eight surround and one central all connected by walkways in-between, your main objective is to gain access to the central tower and take out Elvin but of course it's never as simple as that.

Each walkway is blocked off and to gain access to them all you will need to solve a numerical puzzle; make your way from room to room upon procuring the relevant codes and then dodge and dive your way past various obstacles and irritating robots all set in getting in your way.

For a C64 game it doesn't look at all bad, in fact it looks much better than it's predecessor and clearly a lot of work has gone into making the environments as real as possible, the only drawback of this is that often some parts of the background look like they can be jumped upon etc when in fact they often can't but mostly everything else performs as it should.

It's sound is pretty terrible in comparison to the first though as while that was groundbreaking for it's time, this sequel just merely uses recycled sounds from it and rests on it's laurels which is hardly worthy of praise.

Despite this it's still a solid update of a once classic title which offers a great deal more in the deal of gameplay just that it's not as compelling a second time around yet still somehow manges to deliver a similar feeling that the original did. Personally I would favour this over the original purely as it has a greater deal of variation and is more fun to play but the decision is up to you.

Verdict : Elevated to new heights but it's still the same action.

Points: 800
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Interplay
Released: 1995
System: Megadrive

Most people will no doubt remember the classic Earthworm Jim but not so many people seem to be that familiar with another title that the same developer produced and it's a shame because although not as brilliant it's quite an amusing platform game with an original concept to boot.

As the title suggests you assume the role of Boogerman who is the alter ego of a guy called Snotty Ragsdale, it all starts off as he is exploring the lab of Professor Stinkbaum and then somehow stumbles upon a portal to another dimension and this is where one crazy mucus filled adventure begins.

The character of Boogerman himself is rather ironic as he is more of an anti hero than anything as he has no real super powers to mention, he is simply a lazy sod who utilises farts, burps and even bogie's from his nose to incapacitate enemies which come in the form of such menacing characters as Deodor Ant and Fly Boy.

Levels that you traverse are equally disgusting featuring many snot infested locales and you basically try to get from point A to B while using your bodily wastes to solve a few simple puzzles along the way. Granted it isn't the most challenging, visually impressive, or playable platform game but it is original and a lot of fun while it lasts.

While this isn't a game that will last you very long, if you are a fan of the genre then you may wish to pick this up as it's enjoyable enough and lets face it we aren't going to see many games like this around anymore. So as a curious alternative platform title this delivers well just don't expect a huge amount of longevity from it.

Verdict : A snot smeared blast from the past.

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.