Ninja Gaiden 2 boasts a few new gameplay features in addition to sharper, VGA graphics and smoother animations. First of all, you can gather up to two clones of Ryu who mimic his every move and attack. These doppeldangers amount to tripling your attack power, and are a lot of fun to watch in action... try somersaulting around the screen and quickly rolling back and forth for a nice little circus show :) Secondly, you can finally climb all over the walls without having to snap your controller back and forth. This makes Ryu a bit more like Spiderman than a true ninja, but it does help him attack the enemies from improbable positions that are sometimes impregnable. Finally, the stages now feature some great graphical effects for the background, including moving trains, snow storms, etc. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the fact eagles can *still* hurt you more than a 20-mm artillery shell fired one inch away from your face. The game overall is not as frustratingly difficult as the first one, though, which means action newbies will be able to actually enjoy playing the game (as opposed to seeing death scene every two minutes). With improved graphics and interface, many hidden surprises (including bonus levels), and a great storyline, Ninja Gaiden 2 comes very close to the arcade and Nintendo classic in the addiction quotient. Thumbs up!