DESCRIPTION

Continuing the popular NES series, the Ninja Turtles get the 16-bit treatment with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time. We find our favorite pizza-eating superheroes hanging around their sewer apartment, watching a little television. Friend and ace reporter April O'Neil is doing a live remote from the Statue of Liberty. Suddenly, a giant flying android comes screaming out of the sky and whisks April and Lady Liberty away. A collective cry of "Dude!" emits from the sewer and Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael spring into action; they know Shredder and Krang are behind this nefarious plot.

The "Heroes in a Half Shell" begin their rescue mission in the streets of New York and, with your help, make their way to the Technodrome, which is Shredder's fortress. Using a Matrix Translocation Beam, Shredder then banishes the boys into a timewarp. The Turtles find themselves on a whirlwind trip through time (from 2,500,000 BC to A.D. 2100) while battling Foot Soldiers, Stone Warrior, Roadkill Rodney, Mechaturtle, Slash, Leatherhead, Bebop, Rock Steady and any number of other Shred-heads and Krang hangers on.

You can control any one of the four Ninja Turtle characters, each of whom are rated according to the following abilities: normal attack, rush attack, special technique, defense and speed. Each character comes equipped with a weapon (such as Michaelangelo's nunchakus) and a special move (such as Donatello's High Flying Kick in the Teeth). Regardless of which Turtle you choose, you have many ninja attack moves at your disposal, such as the Catapult, the Whipit, the Bulldozer, the Big Hurl and the Cannon Ball. A friend can join in and team with you side-by-side against the enemy forces.

In addition to hacking, slashing, hitting and kicking your way through the game, a couple of the 10 levels of play require you to ride vehicles, such as sewer surfboards and Neon Nightriders. The end of the game, which is called The Final Shell-Shock, is a present day (1992) battle against the Turtle's archenemy, none other than the mighty Shredder.

If time travel is not your thing, you can challenge an opponent to a little Versus fighting action Ninja Turtle style. A Time Trial mode is also available. Here you must fight the clock as well as the Foot Clan in three courses, each with up to five rounds. Cowabunga, dude! ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide