Zelda II - the 97th game on the VC!
oday's Virtual Console update for North America is a bit lacking in the old WOW factor. Nintendo have made a big deal about Zelda II being the hundred game on the American VC so we will mention it first as by our reckoning it is actually the 97th! haha - Considering Europe had this available for download months ago and it is by far the worst of the Zelda series to date we are not sure if the wait was really worth it. Sure it's not a stinker and many gamers will download this and enjoy it but it's no reason for celebrating in the streets either.

Milon's Secret Castle is a bit of an oddity, released back in 1986 by Hudson (the #1 developer for the TurboGrafx) this is a slice of gaming history. It's a fun little platformer but time really has not been kind to it. Without the retro charms of Super Mario Bros 1 it is hard to recommend this.

Some of our readers may enjoy ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. It lacks the originality of the first TJ & Earl game by following the standard 2D platformer convention but it's a fun little game for two players. It's clearly not for everybody however so this is only recommended to the curious.

The 100th game for the North American VC is Dead Moon for the TG-16 (Sorry Nintendo I messed up your plan!!) - It's a distinctly average horizontally scrolling shoot-em-up. The TurboGrafx console is blessed with lots and lots of shoot-em-ups and this one does not live up to the expectations set by R-Type, Soldier Blade, Blazing Lazers, etc - one to avoid!

Here are the reviews in full:

Zelda II - The Adventure of Link - NES - 500 Points

Milon's Secret Castle - NES - 500 Points

ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Sega Genesis - 800 Points

Dead Moon - TurboGrafx16 - 600 Points