Old-school shooter given a revamp

Taito has one of the most enviable back catalogues of games in the industry, and the gaming giant has been on a bit of a roll lately with reissuing some of its classic titles.

G-darius joins that elite list and returns to consoles with the series’ horizontal shoot -em-up scrolling style – given a HD makeover.

Part four of the original game revolutionised the franchise, and changed the way mid-90s gamers — used to being fed a diet of 3D games — saw 2D shooters.

The gameplay is fast paced and frenetic, the fantastic soundtrack adding to that frenzied feeling of movement.

The power-up system is instantly familiar as you swoop and soar to

collect the orbs dropped by destroyed enemies to pimp up your spacecraft, the Silver Hawk.

One of the great joys of arcade collections is that you can continue putting in‘virtual’coins to keep your game credits alive.

Boss defeated and you get to decide which zone you want to play next. On the surface, with only 15 zones to play through, it feels a little slim.

But in reality each zone gives you plenty to do, offering alternative routes to go down around halfway through each zone, so it never really feels like you play the same route twice.

At times it feels excessively difficult. And even though you only need to complete five of the 15 zones to trigger a win, it’s easier said than done.

However, priced at £21, it’s a bargain that you cannot miss.

Something fishy G-darius has a heavy piscine theme