In console-land, Shinobi, Toe Jam & Earl and several other long dormant characters are making their return. In the PC world, though, developers are finding new ways to exploit older gameplay styles.

Case in point: Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project. The one-line spouting, steroid-enhanced hero returns to his side-scrolling roots, but rather than taking a step back, this game is an enjoyable, if unmemorable, experience.

Filled with the one-liners you've come to expect from the series, Manhattan Project brings side-scrollers into a semi-3D world. The graphics aren't as crisp as many of today's games, but they're more than functional. And developers Sunstorm Interactive had enough foresight to include some of the camera angle extras today's player has gotten used to, such as multiple angles and zoom.

The locations, set everywhere from New York (where you'll explore rooftops and Chinatown, among other locations) to a space station, are very well done. And your enemies (the omnipresent PigCops, dominatrixes, and other enemies you'd expect from a Duke game) have a variety of appearances, giving them some semblance of individuality. Weapons are fairly typical, with the exception of the GLOPP gun, which allows you to reduce your enemies to bugs and rats - which you proceed to squash with your boots.

While the game's world isn't as lush as what Duke explores in his first person shooter adventures, there are still plenty of surprises. Hidden tunnels and rooms add a little more depth than you've come to expect from side scrollers. There are all sorts of power-ups and rewards. And, of course, you never know what you're going to hear coming out of Duke's mouth. (Honestly, can you say you were expecting an Enron joke?)

The game's genre regression does nothing to blunt the Duke Nukem humor. Quipping as he blasts his way through the game's 24 levels, the macho hero is as obtuse and ornery as ever. Die multiple times in the same spot and he'll growl "Now I'm really pissed off." Or try to exit a level at a locked door to hear him exclaim "motherf*****' key cards!"

There is a downside to the quips, though. While some are truly funny, most are mediocre jokes that, at best, bring a smirk to your face the first time you hear them - and have you pleading with the game to shut up by the third or fourth level. Duke has never been a particularly mature character (and his best lines are often from other sources) and that's in particular evidence in Manhattan Project. If the dialogue doesn't convince you of this, the jiggly strippers you rescue throughout the course of the game will.

Gameplay's about what you'd expect - a lot of running and gunning, with a fair number of timed jumping puzzles. We'll take those over a 3D jump puzzle any day, but if you're firmly opposed to any jump-related gaming element, you're going to get frustrated fast.

There are definitely some repetitive elements here, but just as you reach the point of boredom, Sunstorm throws a curve ball your way. That aforementioned space station level, for example, requires you to adjust your gameplay style to compensate for the lack of gravity.

Amazingly enough, Duke Nukem Manhattan Project is a burst of fresh air. Amid the frenzy of first person shooters and resource gathering-intensive strategy games, it's nice to find a title that focuses solely to the fun factor, not one that tries to be a graphics showcase or a mental exercise. Manhattan Project is firmly rooted in arcade gameplay, yes. But it captures the spirit of fun that made arcade gaming fun in the first place.

Better still, publisher Arush Entertainment opted to release the game for the bargain price of less than $25. It's a significantly smaller gamble for the gamer on a budget. The timing couldn't be much worse for Duke's latest adventure, given the current and coming competition in the forms of Soldier of Fortune II, Neverwinter Nights and Warcraft III. But traditionalist gaming fans would be doing themselves a disservice by letting this slip under their radar.

Chris Morris