Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Oriental Games

The Oriental Games offer skilled martial artists the chance to prove themselves in Kung Fu, Kendo and the relatively brutal Kyo-Kus-Hin-Kai., using “courage, skill and flare” (sic) according to the packaging. It makes for a series of one-on-one fights viewed from the side. Kendo involves using a stick as your weapon, whereas Kung Fu various punches and kicks and Kyo-Kus-Hin-Kai involves head butts and flying attacks. You can jump over opponents; a quick tap of the fire button turns you around. You have an energy bar with 5 blocks of gradually decreasing colours, which drops when you are hit and increases as you pass time without being hit. Impressive moves earn you bonus Merit Awards. On the 16-bit versions, there are 3 skill levels (Novice, Professional and Master), digitised sound, and an editor to set up joystick moves. The 8-bit versions lack these niceties, but include an extra discipline, Sumo; these are played in sequence rather than by choice.