The post-Christmas games shortage is still in effect, but every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, it looks more like a slim, shimmering samurai sword. Shadow Blade. a side-scrolling action game for mobile devices, is a swaggering, swooping, stabbing slice of retro fun in the tradition of Shank and Strider.

As a masked killer, you must traverse a number of foreboding fortresses. There are plenty of henchmen to dispatch but, in classic videogame style, the dangerous architecture is the greater threat. Swinging and springing automated blades and spikes, rotating buzzsaws and electrified walls are all are more dangerous than the dozy guards.

A common problem with mobile games is the limits of the control system, which might explain why so many of them are either strategy titles or cutesy puzzle games. Shadow Blade uses its parameters well, and the controls are responsive and intuitive. Most of the gameplay is platform-based, with stealth kills and timed-runs and jumps, as well as the occasional free-for-all combat sequences.

It’s well presented, with graceful, painterly, character animation and great use of sound. The game, in fact, has its share of gratifying sound effects – the swish of a blade, the metallic slide when you launch a stealth attack, and, of course, the splashing of blood and gurgling of your fallen enemies. The hero finishes each level by dramatically dropping a smoke bomb and disappearing. There’s a name for that: showmanship.

Yes, it's a little too short, but Shadow Blade is a slick, elegant and addictive little platform stab-'em-up. Unlike many mobile games, it's not free, but that means there are no tiresome micro-transactions. And it's still cheaper than most Dublin bus journeys. deadmage.com/shadowblade/index.html