When an evil warlord sells his soul to rule feudal Japan, a young ninja emerges to battle the army of trolls, goblins, and evil spirits he unleashes. To defeat the warlord, you must utilize your fists, feet, and magical powers to traverse ten deadly levels, filled with merciless enemies and treacherous physical hazards. Unlike another recent ninja title, Activision's excellent Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, Eidos's Ninja: Shadow of Darkness makes no attempt at strategy; rather, it is an arcade-style beat-em-up that harks back to such relics as Double Dragon or Streets of Rage. Although the graphics are three-dimensional, the play mechanics remain roughly the same (walk right, kick the snot out of a couple of guys, walk right...). Core gamely attempts to mix things up by throwing in some wicked physical hazards, cool-looking ninja spells, and simple puzzle elements.