Shinobi (1989)

Shinobi is an arcade beat-em-up released in 1989 for the ZX Spectrum. Published by Virgin Games, the title was developed by David Leitch, Drew Northcott, and Tiny Williams, based on the original Sega Enterprises arcade coin-op.

The game supports a single player and features a multi-loader system for both 48K and 128K machine types. It utilizes the AY sound chip for audio and offers flexible control options, including Kempston joystick, Interface 2, cursor keys, and redefinable keys.

The game retailed at £9.99 for the cassette version and £14.99 for the disk format. It was also released on several other platforms, including Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, Sega Master System, Amiga, and Atari ST.

Shinobi holds an average magazine score of 75.50%. It received a C+VG Hit award from Computer & Video Games, with individual review scores peaking at 85%.

In the Soviet Union and Russia, the game became a major hit. It saw numerous TR-DOS conversions, and electronic magazines like On-Line and SOSG frequently featured the famous GRUTS cheat code for infinite lives. Cracked cassette versions by groups such as MAC and Sabreman were also widely circulated.