After 'Revenge' the Shinobi games went downhill quite bit with the rather tepid Shadow Dancer. I know I'm not the only person in the world who was disappointed with the Genesis port because the arcade version (and even the Commodore 64 version) was so much better (and almost completely different).
Shinobi III goes back to the gameplay of 'Revenge' and gives us more of the same only with improved graphics (great stuff for a simple 16-bit Genesis) and different locations. A rather cool horseback and surfboard level is included too. We also get a new climbing ability, which is quite cool. And the bad guys still explode when you kill them, for some reason.
It starts out quite easy but gets rather hard towards the end. You'll be screaming with anger in the rockfall and aircraft levels. However, the bad guys still do nothing but wait for you to kill them and the worst thing for you is simply falling down bottomless pits.
Anyone who enjoyed 'Revenge' will no doubt get a kick out of Shinobi III.
Graphics A Sound B Gameplay B Lasting Appeal B-