> The story is familiar, the Ninja Master (Joe Shinobi Musashi) and his pet dog must vanquish an evil gang and destroy the syndicate that controls them. These terrorists have planted time bombs throughout the metropolis that must be found! To that end, Musashi has ninja skills and magic at his disposal.

     > The enemies are a throwback as well, as Musashi will fight against gun wielding thugs, boomerang slingers, numerous ninja types, and more. Lastly, multi-level backgrounds have returned and been enhanced.

     > Three types of ninja magic are utilized that clear the screen of enemies: Fire, Tornado, and Idol magics are randomly available. Also, extra magic is awarded when the continue feature is used. Collecting time bombs will unlock more powerful attacks until the player finishes the stage or dies. 

     > Back are one-hit deaths and unlimited continues (at least until you run out of money). Upon death, the player restarts from the beginning of the stage. The last stage of each mission is a boss battle, followed by a bonus round where the player shoots skyward to kill ninjas jumping down from a building.

     > Overall, this game's sound effects are very good. The dog's plentiful barking is convincing without being too bothersome. Musashi even chants in Japanese when using Ninjitsu. Throwing shurikens, sword strikes and gun fire round out the effects.

     > The locales are an airport, bridge, warehouse, sewers and a space shuttle launching pad. Don't expect to breeze through this game without a lot of practice. Death comes easy, and one wrong move can send a player back to the beginning of the stage. That being said, Shadow Dancer falls into the category of easy to learn, tough to master and fun to play. If the difficulty wasn't so frustrating from time to time, I'd rate this category higher.