When you look back at the classics that have adorned our various gaming machines and computers over the decades there’s one main statement that links them all together: “Simplicity equals greatness”. N+ also manages to adhere to this method of keeping it simple, yet fiendishly good fun. Metanet’s head band-wearing assassin has been popular for around three years and this enthusiasm shows no sign of abating with merchandise aplenty and now an appearance on the console scene.

The DS and PSP variants will be interesting to see once they hit our handheld screens, but it’s the Xbox Live version which will undoubtedly make or break its living room success. At 800 points the first thing some people will mutter is “I’m not paying for a free PC game. I’m not mad!”, and that’s not at all an unreasonable comment. But what the 360 gets on top of the main game makes N+ more than what the PC version ever has been, and that’s fun to the masses.

What the Xbox title has done to achieve this is create a multiplayer for up to four people, and executed it extremely well. After you’ve had a crack at the hundreds of levels adorning the single player mode, the multiplayer part of N+ just keeps on giving. The single screen conundrums are laid out very well and lend a slight thanks to an old Amiga/Mega Drive game by the name of The Lost Vikings, where one player would have to activate a switch or perform an action to enable someone else to make their way through. This time, however, instead of one man controlling everyone, each individual ninja has a human brain behind it.

The solo mode isn’t half bad either. A sign of well made game is when you can be trying to get past an area for what seems like an eternity - possibly even getting your feathers a little ruffled - but you still come back for more. The level layouts mixed with the kind of instant accessibility not seen in years really helps to keep you interested and entertained; albeit sometimes with a hint of simmering anger when another attempt ends in heroic failure.

The graphics are not exactly ground breaking for a 360, but do have a modern and groovy feel to them - some might even say cosmopolitan. They do what’s needed, but with considerable flair and extremely fluid movement. The enemies are basic in detail, but still look equally stylized. Special mention must also go to the rag doll physics, which are just brilliant. I’ve never seen a game where you can just leave your main character being repeatedly electrocuted and admire it while his leg sets off a mine.

The drones, enemies and fiendish contraptions are suitably difficult to overcome and appear in all shapes and sizes, such as sentry bots with more attachments than a celebrity court case (mini-guns and Predator-esque tracking lasers only scratching the surface) to the imaginatively titled Thwumps, whose sole purpose is to hurtle towards you should you stare them square in the…. capacitors.

The game’s difficulty curve is pretty much spot on, as it introduces you nice and gently then begins to turn up the heat to the point of sunstroke, but never once makes you feel like any level is at all unfair. This attention to detail speaks volumes about the developer’s hard work, and provides a clear demonstration that you’re dealing with a labour of love. N+ has care and affection in abundance.

The sound is pretty much like the rest of the package - simple, but unreservedly cool. The bangs, zaps and beeps suit this game to the ground. Musically, it doesn’t interfere too much with the action; fitting in with the feel of N+ rather than being dull and uninteresting. The title music is a great mix of modern electro and SID chip (Commodore 64 sound chip for our younger readers) nirvana and certainly brought a smile to this veteran gamer’s face

This is, quite simply and unreservedly, currently the best game on Xbox Live Arcade. It sounds like a bold statement, granted, but when you weigh up the facts you can begin to see why. Firstly its instant playability means you can spend five minutes or five hours on it and not bat an eyelid. The multiplayer is cleverly thought out and can provide tons of fun, especially if the ninja have been out hitting the bottle before running around.

The main reason for N+ being pretty much an essential purchase brings us back to the classic games, and how they were based on the most simplest of ideas, executed very well. The inclusion of a level editor, as well as the multiplayer, means there’s so much life in this game and grants it the potential to go on for another three years; probably even more.

If ever a piece of software deserved to be successful, this is it. Please put this into your 360 hard drive and keep it there. You’ll love it for all the right reasons and it’ll reward you with an experience that that most full price titles fail to deliver. To find something like N+ in this day and age is, in a strange way, heart-warming.

Brilliant.