Although Contra may look just like every other shooter on the market, the game actually offers a much greater gameplay variety than its rivals. The controls, for example, are very responsive, and you can shoot in any direction. You can also cling to walls, jump, and dodge. You can even hold down the fire button for the auto-fire, just like in the arcades. The only glaring weakness I've found is that the game is a bit too short -- but then again, this is true for most Konami games. The bottom line is this: Contra is fun, fast-paced, and admittedly quite easy... but that shouldn't turn veterans away. No, not from a game whose name is still going strong in various console-based games, although only one more PC conversion (Super C) was made. Two thumbs up!