Bushido: The Way of the Warrior

Setting an early example for the Eastern martial arts motif in fighting games, Bushido: the Way of the Warrior tests your bare-handed combat skills against a feudal Japanese backdrop. The action takes you through a series of themed locations (the courtyard, the dojo, and the cellar) guarded by a multitude of Samurai hostiles. If human enemies were not enough, you'll also find yourself facing slithering snakes, belligerent birds, and even a rather nasty spider. Your objective: infiltrate the complex, grab the treasure items, get out in one piece and move on to the next level.

The guards are all too eager to introduce you to their katanas and shurikens; your only arsenal is your hands and feet, but your mastery of the arts makes them lethal enough. There are three separate control modes (movement mode, punch mode, kick mode) where each of the nine numpad keys performs a different action: this lets you execute a varied repertoire of backflips, rolls, crouches, spinning punches, flying kicks and so forth. You get ten difficulty settings to choose from, including a practice mode which lets you exercise your impressive arsenal of moves without being inconvenienced by opposition.