WiiWare and Virtual Console Roundup

Earthworm Jim

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: GBP 6 / EUR 7.70 (approx)

Like many people, I harbour enormously fond memories of Earthworm Jim, having spent far too many hours in the early '90s playing pass-the-joypad with friends as we battled to get past some fiendishly tricky platforming moments. Away from the snug cocoon of warm boozy memories, it's precisely the sort of game that can shatter rose-tinted glasses when played through more experienced eyes. While the humour and art style are still hugely enjoyable, the game itself feels much cruder than I remembered.

Collision detection feels off, making the numerous precision leaps something of a chore, while the control is a touch too stiff for the fast-paced action the game often demands. It's not helped by the baffling decision to map Jim's gun to the A button on the remote, meaning that it's almost impossible to shoot and direct your fire at the same time. Since so many of the game's enemies must be defeated in this way, it makes progress much more frustrating than it needed to be.

There's still plenty to enjoy in Earthworm Jim, and it's one of the few deliberately funny games still capable of raising a genuine laugh, but when you push nostalgia aside it's not hard to see why the series never endured beyond the 16-bit era.

7/10

Shining Force II

• Platform: Megadrive
• Wii Points: 800
• In Real Money: GBP 6 / EUR 7.70 (approx)

Shining Force II opens much like every other JRPG of its era - plucky kids, wizened old mentor, a small town populated by rosy-cheeked yokels with nary a locked door in sight, and a castle where you must hurriedly meet with the king before embarking on an epic quest that conveniently starts just around the corner.

It doesn't take long for Shining Force to distinguish itself from the Final Fantasy copyists, however. For one thing, it actually has more in common with tactical role-players like Fire Emblem. Combat is turn-based and takes place on a grid. You move your characters around, one at a time, and try to achieve various victory conditions - usually killing all the enemies or killing their leader.

There are items and spells and other familiar tropes of the RPG genre, but strategy trumps special moves every time. Also noteworthy is just how open the gameworld is. You're free to roam, almost from the start, and while the story keeps moving forwards, it never stops you heading back to previous areas to hunt for more items.

The only major criticism is that battles can become long-winded and rather frustrating. Nowhere is this more evident than in your very first encounter, which pits your trio of novice adventurers against seven demonic enemies. None are particularly tough, but chipping your way through them, two or three hit-points at a time, isn't a particularly thrilling way to get things started.

If you're interested in tactical RPGs, such things probably won't bother you. The first game graced the VC last year, and Shining Force II is every bit as big, bright and fun to explore. If only more games offered this much for your 800 Points.

8/10

Space Harrier

• Platform: Master System
• Wii Points: 500
• In Real Money: GBP 3.50 / EUR 4.50 (approx)

Space Harrier may have been a wow in the arcades, with its into-the-screen gameplay and bulky pneumatic sit-down cabinet, but I don't think I've ever played a home port that was worth the effort.

This Master System version is particularly difficult to enjoy, blighted as it is by lumpy scrolling, jerky graphics and ugly borders surrounding sluggish sprites. It's crap, basically.

It's also an especially bewildering choice, given that the Megadrive version of Space Harrier II has been on the VC for almost two years.

3/10