Based upon the hugely popular freeware game N, N+ brings the formula to consoles with new features and content. Each of the many, many levels is a single screen filled with monochromatic blocks and platforms, little blobs of gold, an exit door, and a switch to open it. You play a ninja whose goal it is to simply reach the open door without dying or running out of time, collecting gold en route to add to the clock. Levels are grouped into chapters of five, and the clock is not fully reset until the next chapter. Navigating the screen is made easier by N's ability to grab onto and leap off walls, as well building up momentum to make longer leaps. The downside is that each stage has numerous ways to die horribly: Spinning lasers, homing missiles, mines and gun turrets all wait to finish you off. N+ also adds co-operative and competitive multiplayer stages.

The watery world of Nebulus is in trouble: a collection of towers have appeared, and they must be toppled. This can be accomplished by guiding your frog/cabbage/pea character to the top of each one in turn. The twist is that the towers are scaled on the outside, meaning the levels wind around to the top. Lifts and staircases help your ascension, as do pathways that lead straight through to the other side of the tower. These can also be used to escape from the nasties, in case your fireballs aren't enough to see them off. Taking a hit or missing your step will see you falling to a lower level, but you have to be careful not to fall into the sea.

The princess has-- oh, you guessed. Well, what is new is the adventure. Eight worlds of eight new 2D platform-leaping, koopa-stomping action featuring Mario and his seemingly endless quest to rescue Peach. Seriously, get a clamp or something. Gamewise the levels are similar to the original SMB, with emphasis on walking right and little to do with vertical motion. However, in Yoshi's Island style, each level has its own special gimmicks with moving scenery and unique enemies. Stylistically, it is unusual with 3D "sprites" that dance to the background music and the occasional camera effect. Its major unique Mario point is the Mega Mushroom, turning the plumber into a screen-sized bringer of stompy justice able to smash through pipes.

In ancient Japan, the demon warlord Kigai has kidnapped the princess Koto for use in a ceremony to revive his power and allow himself and his army to take over the world. Up to two simultaneous players can take on the roles of handgun-toting ninja, advancing through the castles and caverns in a linear fashion. Progress will be impeded by legions of samurai, archers, mechanical monsters and other such cannon fodder, as well as the occasional giant warrior or fire-breathing dragon boss.

A long-overdue sequel to the original arcade scrollers, this incarnation of Ninja Gaiden drags tiny god Ryu Hayabusa into a fully 3D world based around the Dead or Alive universe. Travelling through fantastical locales of feudal Japan, the incredibly flexible Ryu must use his new dimension to full effect to fight off an impressive stream of enemies. By combining his athleticism with classic weapons like katana and claws, and the occasional supernatural burst of magic, the ninja can paint the walls red before running up them and backflipping through another opponent's face.

Ninja Gaiden from the previous year, but a little more so. Featuring the original game and its downloadable expansion packs ready on the disc, the Black version adds a challenge-based Mission Mode, a host of new enemies and unlockable content (e.g. costumes), and new difficulty levels so that mortals can play it for slightly longer before seeing the game over screen. Or, make it even harder. Fools.

A collection of minigames designed to test hand-eye coordination and the various hardware benefits of the Wii and DS. Plus ninjas. Tasks include smashing thrown objects with timed nunchuk blows, target dummy defence tests with shuriken, bare handed fishing, and (somewhat less reaction-based) meditation classes. The Steam PC version adds various Half-Life themed easter eggs.