New York was never the most pleasant of cities, but by 2014 things are a whole lot worse than anyone thought possible. Organised crime has taken over the city and is bleeding it dry. One group in particular has become strong: the Church of the Third Coming, known simply as C3C to its devotees, who are a nasty lot out for total control of the city.

Only a brave few stand up to the criminals and gangs. The Warriors are the last remnants of law and order in the city - and they're looking for new recruits.

You are a Warrior who has just been detoxicated and kitted out in the latest hi-tech weaponry. Your mission is to battle your way through the streets of New York to the World Trade Centre, where some suitably deranged individual has planted a very unpleasant nuclear device on the roof.

The game is a multi-directional blow-em-up, played in a variety of urban locations. Obstacles, such as holes in the ground and derelict buildings, all conspire to stop you making it to the World Trade Centre within the deadline.

Each screen consists of one particular type of New Yorker, such as the star-chucking Assassins or the heavy-duty machine-gun-pumping Ramboids. These enemies lurk behind trees and machine gun emplacements and have a nasty habit of running out of buildings showering a hail of bullets down on your bonce.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

New York Warriors uses a very peculiar perspective, from a high altitude, which means that buildings slant outwards and the enemies look slightly squashed. The cityscape itself appears gritty and run-down, with holes in the road and barbed wire in the windows. The enemies are detailed and large enough to be easily destroyed, but the animation is slightly off I that the Warrior's sprite tends to moonwalk when there's a lot happening on the screen.

Some of the best graphical effects are the weapons. Amongst the tasty gizmos on offer are a grenade launcher, a missile launcher and a flame thrower. With large numbers of the enemy on the screen and all the explosions going off, things get a bit hectic and visibility becomes a bit of a problem. Sound is very much what you'd expect. Lots of explosions and bangs rattle the speaker and these add to the bloodthirsty appeal of the game.

LASTING INTEREST

It shouldn't take a hardened gamer too long to complete this one. However, this shouldn't mean that it's never brought down from the shelf again. It works equally as well as a quick blaster, or as a game to finish.

The two player option is a lot of fun and leads to the adoption of a rugged combat style of play where each player covers the others back.

The main problem with New York Warriors is the fact that it can very easily be eclipsed by much better games. Ikari Warriors and Leatherneck both did the job much better - and those are old hat now anyway.

JUDGEMENT

Not original, but it does follow a time-honoured tradition of blood-letting en masse and it certainly has that "one more go" appeal. The various weapons crop up at just the right moment, namely just before eight or nine large barbarians appear on screen wanting to shake hands with your liver.

The screens are just about the right length, so that just when you think you're about to kick the bucket you can move on. The main problem is just a complete lack of originality. This type of game has been ruthlessly over-used.