Game: "Ninja Gaiden II"

Console: Xbox 360

Developer/publisher: Tecmo/Team Ninja

Genre: Action

Number of players: 1

Rated: Mature, for partial nudity, suggestive themes, blood and gore, intense violence

The premise: This game takes place after the events of "Ninja Gaiden: Black" for the Xbox, "Sigma" for the PlayStation 3 and "Dragon Sword" for the Nintendo DS. This game reintroduces the Black Spider Ninja Clan that Ryu fought in "Dragon Sword."

Game play: This game uses the great controller scheme from "Ninja Gaiden One" (Black, Sigma). With the addition of more brutal weapons, a new feature has been added. You now have to completely puree your foes or they will never stop getting up. There is something to be said for being pummeled by a one-handed bad guy. With gore painting the walls and limbless opponents, this is not for the squeamish.

The good/bad: We have seen the "charge move" before, but now it takes even less time to pull off and is more effective then ever. That means you're now able to brutalize multiple opponents faster and get an even bigger bonus.

With its legendary difficulty and bosses, two modes have been added: Way of the Acolyte (easy) and Way of the Warrior (hard). This is unlike the first game, where you found yourself dying at an early stage.

Tips: Figure out which weapon you are best at, and stick with it. This means powering it up to the max early and not spending time on weapons you won't use.

Utilize the charge attack. Each successful use of this powerful move brings about bigger orbs.

Ignore the Crystal Skulls. Acquiring them gets you only Xbox game points.

Because the game has been around for a while, a Mission pack is now available via Xbox Box Live.

My take: This, my friends, is what I think a sequel should be. "Ninja Gaiden" is an improvement on the last game and with a difficulty push. I hope you enjoy this game as much as I did, but it's not for the light-hearted: Blood and difficulty are heavy. Unfortunately, the original creator of this game, Iga of Team Ninja, is going off and doing other things, so get his stuff while you can.

Jeffrey Davis, of Honolulu, is a video-game enthusiast.