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

Two classics from the Commodore and a much loved mascot of the Master System make up this latest selection, read on if your pondering which to add to your collection. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Boulderdash
• Jumpman
• Sonic the Hedgehog (MS)

Points: 500
Publisher: First Star
Developer: First Star
Released: 1984
System: C64

A classic from a bygone era of videogames which some will remember fondly and anyone else who's yet to play it will question why. This is somewhat understandable because If you were to judge this game by it's visuals then it's all to easy to just simply shrug it off as it is pretty abysmal in that department even for it's time and even more by todays standards.

Not a great deal can be said about the sounds which match the visuals in being functional but really nothing more; so where exactly does this game shine? Well as you may have guessed by now it's all about the way that it plays which manages to hold this rapidly aging title together for a while longer.

You play as a prospector named Rockford and your basic goal is to navigate each cave based maze which make up the games levels in search of diamonds in the rough surroundings which you explore and eventually the exit. Things start off pretty basic with no enemies or hazards as it gently introduces you into the intricate workings of things.

As you will soon find out though the whole game isn't a simple collect 'em up and it's when you start to get things like the infamous blocks of death known as fireflies and boulders bounding and bouncing their way towards you as you make your way through the makeshift mazes that it's deliberately diabolical difficulty level becomes apparent.

There isn't really a great deal else to say about it really apart from it's one of those classic games which you will most likely question until you actually play it; so if you've ever wondered whats so appealing about it I'd suggest that it's still worthy of your Wii points and it may well keep you happy for a few weeks on and off with the possibility of revisiting it every now and then. Basically it's a true diamond in terms of the well thought out gameplay in amongst the rough graphics and patchy audio.

Verdict : A classic of it's time which still manages to shine.

Points: 500
Publisher: Epyx
Developer: Randy Glover
Released: 1983
System: C64

It's pretty obvious that this title got part of it's inspiration from the great Donkey Kong; while the plot is different featuring a bomb disposal expert named Jumpman (more possible inspiration taken there) it's visual style is strikingly similar as are some of the games mechanics.

Basically you must save the Jupiter headquarters following an infiltration by the evil Alienators who have placed bombs throughout it's thirty floors; it's you mission to climb up ladders and across metal platforms disarming bombs and jumping over enemies and entities along the way.

Each level has it's own hazard to avoid as you go about your business attempting to disarm each bomb; these include disappearing ledges and bombs which descend from above. There are a few options to choose from including three different sets of levels with varying difficulty as well as how many players (four can play taking turns) but everything else is controlled by the game.

Speed changes as you progress through each floor, some will be faster and some more regularly paced; the problems start to arise when you discover that the fast paced levels are actually too frenetic and end up making controlling your on-screen character an erratic experience as they just aren't tight enough end end up creating frustration and annoyance when a jump is missed or an enemy ran into because of this.

Other than that there isn't a great deal to the game as such, it features visuals which are merely functional, audio which is perfectly acceptable and gameplay which is strangely addicitive; just like many a game from this era. While your not likely to play this game a great deal after you've gone through it once, it's addictive enough to keep you playing to the end and is certainly worth it's Wii points for the experience.

Verdict : Bomb disposal based blast from the past.

Points: 500
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ancient
Released: 1991
System: Master System

For many this is either likely to be one of their most played games from their youth or one that they have barely experienced at all pretty much boiling down to which of Sega's machines you owned at the time. Personally I fall into the latter category, while I have grown up playing Sonic Team games right from when I got a Sega Megadrive with the original Sonic the Hedgehog, this Master System game completely passed me by until several years down the line though I was pleasantly surprised when it actually came down to playing it.

Being based on the Megadrive version rather than being a straight port this version does include levels and elements from the original but they are mostly brand new zones; the only real familiar elements are recycled enemies from the MD incarnation and of course the boss battles with Dr Robotnik in the last act of every zone.

Visually it might not be as vivid as it's 16-bit superior or as audibly awesome but for a Master System game it really pushed the boundaries for it's time and is still very enjoyable to look at, listen to and of course play. Controls are suitably solid but not as fine tuned, thats not to say that theres anything atrocious about them but these differences are certainly noticeable if your familiar with the other version.

It's most definitely worth downloading whether you remember it fondly or not as it is an enjoyable classic Sonic game thats a bit more challenging than the rest in the way that you have to tackle the levels. And with the Chaos Emeralds to collect which are scattered throughout the actual zones, special stages with extra lives and continues to be had as well as the simple joy of trouncing your time of completion by a few seconds; it's well worthy of a place in your collection of classics.

Verdict : A simple and satisfying Sonic game.

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.