Sega's unfortunate foray into the handheld videogame market was met with short and extremely limited success. Despite being technically far superior to Nintendo's battery-friendly Gameboy unit, the bulky ( yet more capable ) Game Gear's full potential was never quite realised. It's a shame because games like Magical Taruruto-kun offer a glimpse towards what could have become a thriving platform for games on-the-go.

Magical Taruruto-kun, later romanised as Magical Tal Route in Europe, is something of a complete mystery. Even the mighty Google will relent little, if anything, about this obscure rarity. Thankfully, via emulation, we are able to experience the game's delights - and its downfalls.

The most immediately striking aspect of this game is its blatant cuteness, and its affection with the sometimes bizzare. You take control of a purple winged 'bat-boy', fighting against all manners of enemies - paper planes, tree bark, bouncing pianos, flying medical syringes and much more - through each of the varied stages: school playgrounds, over oceans, above the clouds during sunset ( complete with paralax scrolling and headwinds causing down draft ) etc. There are some great animation touches too; such as enemies faces that squirm as you shoot them and your characters wings flapping faster as you move around. No doubt about it, Magical Taruruto-kun delivers in the visuals department, which, along with the likes of Konami's Pop 'n Twinbee, helped to cement the 'Cute 'em Up' style also employed in titles like Cotton 100% and ( to a lesser extent ) the Parodius series.

However, once the rose tint of nostalgia in your glasses fades, the game's fundamental mechanics and flaws are exposed. For one thing, the individual levels seem heavily drawn out and repetitious due to the fact that there are only a handful of enemy types contained within each - sometimes less. Enemies appear seemingly at random yet constant intervals with very predictable ( and often conflicting ) movement patterns, giving a very disjointed flow to the game. The action is broken up at times by a 'flying shop' witch, complete with broomstick and firey hair. She offers a much needed upgrade to your limited arsenal - including increased speed, spread and double shots, extra hearts ( energy ) and even a time freeze item which is very useful for the boss sections. The boss battles themselves offer much more variety, challenge and enjoyment, which makes commuting to them all the more arduous. The inclusion of mini-boss encounters may have livened things up a little, but are unfortunately absent.

As everything onscreen leans on the slightly larger side of life, your character's sprite size vs actual screen size limits your movement area during the more hectic times. This, coupled with an initially slow movement speed and an ( at times ) unforgiving collision detection, the experience is somewhat hampered. Some might say that most shmups contain levels that are mostly the same thing over and over with different graphics or enemies. However untrue the notion, it certainly makes sense for some of the levels in Magical Taruruto-kun. Still, the competent Master System-like melodies and chirpy sound effects will cheer you on through an otherwise lengthy and uneventful 8-bit shooter.

Magical Taruruto-kun features, well... no features at all. An options screen is no where to be found. But this is, afterall, a SHMUP from an era where customising the difficulty or tweaking the scoring system was mostly unheard of - atleast in a handheld sense. Magical Taruruto-kun is a straight forward, mid-paced horizontal shooting affair which lacks the intensity and tension ( save for certain short-lived boss battles ) that yearns replayability. By todays complex standards - it is a primitive gameplay venture, sugar-coated in colourful, cute and distinctive graphics and a few nifty power-ups added in for good measure. I could say this is one purely for the serious collectors or curious enthusiasts, but I really do think there is *something* magically endearing in Magical Taruruto-kun that certain shooter fans, with expectations firmly in check, may delight in on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Some who endeavour may very well be pleasantly surprised - while those seeking more traditional shooter fulfillment on their Game Gear systems would be better off tracking down Compile's excellent GG Aleste titles.

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