PC CD-Rom minimum system requirements: 486DX/66mhz; 8MB RAM; 7MB hard disk space; Windows 3.1; Dual speed CD-Rom drive; SVGA. £29.99
Th ONALD Duck isn't what he used to be. Apparently nowadays he's doing a bit of detective work and in this Disney backed caper his brief is to find the missing Shabuhm Shabuhm idol before the island paradise disappears off the face of the Earth.
Donald, it appears, has also been given a new name. From this day forth he shall be known as Maui Mallard or Maui for short and he's no ordinary duck. When the going gets tough and he has managed to get his hands on a few YinYang coins, he transforms into a fearsome Ninja with the skills of the legendary Cold Shadow.
If Maui comes across some of the rare red Yin Yang coins his Ninja alter ego suddenly becomes a one duck fighting machine. The more red coins you collect, the more combo attack moves he can do, but it's not all about the finer points of martial arts.
In this platformer Maui spends most of his time snooping around looking for some vital clues. Instead of using his Ninja skills to get him out of trouble he has an arsenal which comprises several exotic species of island insects.
As one would expect, the 23 levels are full of standard power ups. But to get a password for a particular level you must first collect 12 bags of golden treasure. Thanks to the excellent array of different locations and the cartoon like graphics, this is one platformer that serves up a visual treat.
But, in truth, Donald In Cold Shadow is a bit of a lame duck when compared with some of the better platformers around. Even on a machine that well outstrips the minimum requirements, the action is often jerky and controlling the hero of the piece often requires equal amounts of luck and skill. Thus, playing this game for any reasonable length of time can become infuriating. This is a real pity, because Donald In Cold Shadow appears to be a great game until, that is, you try and play it!
Graphics: 90%
Sound: 82%
Gameplay: 40%