on't get me wrong! The C64 version of Shinobi was really great, and the title picture captures the spirit of the arcade original. But that fierce looking ninja has become such a classic in the arcades, and I thought the C64 picture would deserve just that extra shine.

In my opinion, the weak part of the old picture is the dull pair of eyes. Eyes take a crucial role in the face (especially here, as the rest of the head is hidden). Don't mine look more... alive? At least I think so.

Finally, I felt the need to reproduce that oriental background. Not vital of course, but it definitely takes part in the overall atmosphere of the game.

n the left the original C64 screen, and on the right my own version.

he SEGA logo is made of several monochrome sprites. Mine is smaller (but at least it does not look as if it had been stretched) so that can't hurt.

The rest probably uses color character mode, as there are only three colors on screen plus the background color. My picture uses about 4 or 5 new characters for the oriental background patterns, but I spared about the same amount by removing the border gradient and moving the author signature closer to the shoulder.