About Shinobi III : Return of the Ninja Master

One of the best ninja games: fluid controls (think a mix of Richter and Alucard from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which came out 4 years later!), beautiful graphics, great challenge and very original and varied level design.
Mix of platforming elements and the good old fashioned 'ninja' fighting gameplay (sword/shuriken attack, magic attack).