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

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away... or rather three weeks ago in the US territory; Star Fox 64 was released on the virtual console and now it has finally reached European shores! Albeit under the slightly different moniker of Lylat Wars but it's still here in all it's infamous barrel-rolling glory.

Oh and we've also been given another game this week to download but I think it's just there to make up the numbers.

Anyway, onto the games! And to recap this week we have...

• Donkey Kong Jr. Math
• Starfox 64

Points: 500
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1987
System: NES

One made up word... "Edutainment." The definition of this word? Game developers attempting to combine traditional educational subjects (in this case Mathematics) with an existing game concept and ultimately in doing so failing on an epic level and managing only to create something which is completely self-contradictory due to it being neither fun nor mentally challenging.

And quite frankly thats DK Jr. Math in it's entirety; summed up in a sentence. It's at this point where I could attempt to list some of the games main selling points or some compelling reason as to why it's worth purchasing but that would require me to lie about it which I'm not here to do. So instead consider this an advanced warning because this title basically has no point, no sole redeeming feature and nothing to offer in the way of either entertainment or educational value whatsoever.

However if you still wish to purchase this "game" for reasons I can only rationalise as being either completely masochistic or unconventional then by all means thats your prerogative to do so. Just so that you are aware though I did try to warn you and although it's not in my nature to say "I told you so" in this instance I will gladly say them to anyone who purchases it after reading this and then discovers the terrible truth.

If you really do feel the need to educate yourself while playing then I would gladly recommend Brain Training on the DS hands down over any two decade old piece of software that falls under a genre which is an oxymoron. Edutainment? Just say no!

Verdict: A fatally flawed concept which fails to add up.

Points: 1000
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1997
System: N64

If there was ever any one single title on the N64 that helped to silence any doubters in the consoles capabilities early on in its life then it's to Lylat Wars that the majority of the credit should go to. Appearing approximately one year on from the machines initial launch; it raised the bar to new heights, increasing the hopes and expectations of players to a new level that was unheard of until that point in time... "We need the Star-Fox team!"

Everything about the second entry in the Star-Fox series (named Lylat Wars in Europe and Australia due to trademark issues) demonstrates high production values from the moment you switch on to a brilliant opening sequence which is rendered using in-game graphics (as opposed to FMV) which was a big deal in itself for its time and really properly sets the scene before you even get to the lovingly crafted (and interactive) title screen.

After pressing the start button you are greeted with a well presented menu which plays host to various modes and adjustable variables. If this is your first foray into the game then you may want to check out the "Training" option first. Personally I would advise starting here before venturing into the main experience if only because it sets a fine example of how an introductory mode should be; in short, it teaches you all you need to know in a short time frame, manages to hold your attention throughout and thanks to the looped action sequence at the "end" it lets you decide when to move onto the main event.

Mission mode is where all the action is; it all starts with General Pepper informing you that "Andross has invaded the Lylat system" "help us Star-fox" and this is where you step in as Star-fox teams commanding Arwing pilot Fox McCloud who vows "I'll do my best" "Andross won't have his way with me" and it's with those (perhaps questionable) words that your first mission as a member of the Star-Fox team begins.

It's truly a joy to behold from the very first mission as while it eases you in gently; the action still comes thick and fast with a constant supply of enemies to deal with as well as collapsing pillars, destructible debris otherwise blocking your path or in this case paths as many of the missions including the first has more than one route. All the while you will encounter S.O.S transmissions from one of your other wing-mates and often choosing to help or ignore them will alter that paths that are available to you.

Deciding on whether or not to help Falco Lombardi (hot-shot ace pilot) on the first mission will not only open up an alternate route but also a different and more challenging boss encounter. This route planning also extends to the games 3D scrolling map of the Lylat System from which you select your missions as there are several alternate routes with 15 main planets in total requiring multiple routes in order to discover each of the game's missions.

Essentially the action follows the same pattern; you mission starts off with two or three airborne animal associates (including the aforementioned Falco Lombardi along with wise old-timer Peppy Hare and young-gun pipsqueak Slippy Toad � the teams risk assessor) who aid you in their own ways providing you can help them out by picking off enemies who frequently tail them throughout the frantically paced on-rails journey to the inevitable boss encounter at the end.

The bosses are spectacular spectacles in themselves which often cause you to think on your feet or more precisely your wings and treads; depending on if you are airborne or semi-grounded in your Arwing or Landmaster respectively. Most instances incorporate using offensive weaponry such as charged laser blasts and smart bombs along with advanced evasive maneuvers often hinted at by Peppy who will often suggest that you should "Do a barrel roll!" (you knew it was coming) to deflect enemy fire.

Beyond the carefully structured missions with it's scoring system that rewards careful players and encourages retrying to improve upon your previous efforts, the branching structure which allows for multiple routes and it's addictive quality, there is more to the N64 based Lylat Wars which makes it the true zenith of the series over both the SNES classic Starwing and the more recent GCN third party effort; Star-Fox Assault.

While it's true that Star-Fox started it all and was truly a revolutionary title for it's time thanks to top-notch programming and the Super FX chip which proved that 3D could be done to a decent standard in the 16-Bit era; Lylat Wars took many elements from the SNES original (and the officially "unreleased" sequel) and stepped things up a notch by taking full advantage of the larger 96-mb cartridge capacity which allowed for cinematic style in game cut scenes, included clearly audible voice acting and beyond the decently proportioned single player campaign even contained a competent 2-4 player battle mode which is still present today.

Everything that made the on-rails blaster such a standout title in its time has made it across to its virtual console release with only one mentionable omission; there is no rumble support... It's something of a contradiction perhaps that the game which introduced vibration in pads to the world a decade ago thanks to the Rumble Pak peripheral is now lacking it today; this may be more of an issue to people who have played the game originally as opposed to people experiencing it for the first time today and although ultimately in my opinion it doesn't make a great deal of difference to the overall experience it could have been that much better with it and is slightly damaging to the nostalgia factor.

Rumble ramblings aside; Lylat Wars still has a special place in the hearts of many gamers for many reasons previously mentioned, and then some. From all range mode to all out action and sporting both smooth slickly crafted visuals (with display support up to 480p) with an original score by Koji Kondo and the whole project overseen by Shigeru Miyamoto no less; this truly is a timeless title in its own right and deserves to be played and appreciated by any self respecting gamer.

Verdict: A title of star quality that still shines bright today.

And thats all folks for another week, VC Weekly will return again soon so until that time; enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!