Description:

Life should be simple for a teenager.

OK, we take that back. It should be frustrating, melodramatic and gut-wrenching. But it should be straightforwardly complicated. For Naruto, however, as well as dealing with all the usual teenage angst and heartache, there's saving the village and fighting lots of folks. That has been pretty well documented in the world of video games. So what could Naruto: Ninja Destiny possibly throw into the mix for the handheld?

Quite a lot, really. Ninja Destiny drops many of the elements that have characterised previous Naruto games on handheld system. You won't find side-scrolling platforming, nor will you find an RPG rammed with side quests. Instead, you'll find a frenetic 3D beat 'em up more reminiscent of the Clash of the Ninja series on console than its handheld predecessors.

You'll find the likes of Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Hatake, Gaara, Neji, Rock, Might Guy, Shikamaru, Itachi, and (need we say) Naruto at your disposal to duke it out in either story mode or multiplayer.

To spice things up there is a spot of touch screen action (this is still the DS, after all), with power ups occasionally popping up on the bottom screen to be activated with the touch of a thumb. Using one of them will give you a chakra boost for special attacks, give you a defence power up or even give you limited invincibility.

If you want a more arcade-like Naruto experience than previous DS titles have offered, this may well be your jump-suited boy.

Information:

• Number of players: 1-2
• Development Company: Tomy
• Software House: Tomy
• Video Dimensions: 2D
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Point Of View: Combination