This is the first of three Ninja Turtles games on the NES.  While the latter two somewhat successfully captured the charm of the excellent arcade game including cooperative play, Ultra Games made the somewhat bold decision to make this a one-player side-scrolling action adventure.  The result is a very challenging, very unique and interesting experience that no Turtles fan should overlook.  

The graphics of the game are functional but not pretty, and the sound is alright.  The sound effects for each of the 4 turtle weapons is perfect and the music is fun and groovy.  Where this game shines is the ninja action and the surprisingly open level design.  There is an over-head view portion of each level that functions as a sort of hub for which side-scrolling area you must tackle, but there is often little guidance in the route you take to get to the end, and often you are given the choice of alternate routes or given an open world to explore, if you want to tackle unnecessary sewers and gain weapons for your arsenal in the process, you are welcome to do so.  This adds a great deal of replay value to the game as well as variety, breaking up the intense ninja slashing with some exploration and freedom.  I should also mention the notorious swimming portion of level 2, a segment I can beat every time nowadays but was challenging enough to torment many a frustrated child when the game was released.

Ultra Games perhaps achieved its finest accomplishment in bold game-design choices with the extremely bizarre and unique Nightshade for the NES, blending not only action and exploration but also point-and-click adventuring.  Fans of Nightshade may want to join the Turtles fan and check out this title.  Although, if you have a buddy, you may be better off teaming up and taking on one of the sequels for a more mindless, action-arcade experience.