Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

The Good
The original TMNT arcade game perfected the art of turtle power! It did so by building on the play mechanics of Double Dragon and Final Fight, while also adding its own, uniquely "cowabunga", comic book style.

The sequel did likewise, and I'm happy to report that this 16-adaption of the turtles second arcade game is equally praiseworthy.

Our fabulous, funky, kick-butt ninjas look and sound awesome. Game play mechanics are easy to learn, responsive and the ability to toss bad guys into the background was a cool feature.

The turtles battle the forces of evil in some beautifully designed levels, which once again highlighted the hardware advantages found in the Super Nintendo.

The 16-bit war between Nintendo and Sega were furious in the 1990s, and this is one of those early titles that showed just what the SNES could do.

The Bad
The damsel in distress storyline is a bit overdrawn in the video game franchise. April is a smart, streetwise reporter.

However. The number of times she has been captured does make you wonder if she developed some sort of unhealthy attachment to Shredder or Krang. Ok, maybe she would not be the best ninja warrior, but does she have to keep being the helpless lady?

Lastly, the hack 'n slash format is certainly not going to win any points for originality. It is wonderfully designed and executed in this game, but you are still basically moving left to right in order to hack at familiar enemies and bosses.

The Bottom Line
The turtles first leap into the 16-bit gaming world is an awesome one. It is a familiar sort of fast paced, hack 'n action, complete with a damsel in distress. If you can get a hold of this game, you will be glad that you did. Turtle Power!