I'm sure that most people who have played a NES, have played the original Contra. Contra set a standard for side-scroller action games and was followed by more games from the same series. So how does the Super Nintendo incarnation stand? Well, it's pretty damn good.

Graphics: (8/10) The graphics in Contra 3 are about as good as SNES graphics get. There are good flame and explosion effects on just about everything (b/c just about everything catches on fire or explodes... or both). Some 3D graphics are used when enemies come from in front or behind the sceen level (check out the missle toting airplane on the right).

Sound: (7/10) The sound in Contra 3 is pretty standard. All the guns make nice sounds when you waste enemies, the semi-techno music is always pumping in the background. Nothing special, nothing bad.

Fun: (8/10) Like all the other Contra games it's tons of fun to blaze through the alien infested areas and waste everything with a nice variety of firearms (Machine Gun, Lasers, Spread Shot, Rockets, and more!). Contra 3 stays true to the "one shot, one kill" system; where you as well as most enemies only have one hit point. This can make the game extremely hard at times so stick close to your "Save State" button. This game is a classic side-scroller and provides a lot of fun.

Creativity: (6/10) Being a side-scrolling shooter is almost always a minus in this category, but Contra 3 does a good job at throwing complex and unique situations at you. You get to drive vehicles, hang off the bottom of a helicopter, and even hang off the missles it shoots. Lots of interesting gameplay twists, but nothing ground-breaking.

Multi-Player: Contra 3's 2-player gamesplay is enhanced by an A B Option that allows you to play with "Friendly-Fire" on or off. I suggest option A (FF off) b/c it makes things a lot smoother. Other than that, 2-player gameplay is the same as in all the other Contra games. If a friend is around, don't miss it.

Tips and Cheats: Game Winner's cheat codes (jap version).

Errors: Using Snes9x (ver.1.38), I encountered only minor errors. Nothing that will ruin the game for you and the sound is almost perfect (thanks Snes9x!).