Ninjas sneak on to Euro VC

This week four retro games have been made available in Europe on the Wii's Virtual Console, bringing the total number of games available in the region to 120.

The first on this week's list is Shinobi III, which was originally released on the Sega Mega Drive in 1993. Sega's action platform game puts players in the shoes of Joe Musashi--aka the Shinobi--a Ninjitsu fighter battling a crime syndicate called Neo Zeed.

Next up is Treasure Co.'s Dynamite Headdy, originally released on the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis, if you prefer) in 1994. Another action platform game, it is set in a world full of living toys, with players controlling a character called Headdy. Headdy has a detachable head with which he attacks his enemies. The detachable-headed hero goes to visit friends in North Town, where he comes up against the dastardly Dark Demon, and consequently sets out on a mission to defeat him and his minions.

Also available for download this week is role-playing game Shining Force. This 1992 Mega Drive title is a traditional turn-based RPG from Sega which starts as 1,000 years of peace are destroyed when the kingdom of Runefaust brings war to the land of Rune. The main character--a swordsman--wields the power of light, the titular Shining Force, which has the power to restore peace to the nation.

Lastly this week is the 1991 TurboGrafx puzzle game Drop Off. Another princess needs to be rescued, and hero Takashi is just the man for the job. He must save the fair maiden by solving a series of block puzzles in order to clear a path to her and move on to the next stage.

Shinobi III, Dynamite Headdy, and Shining Force all cost 800 Wii points (approx £5.60), and Drop Off is 600 Wii points (£4.20).