The 1993 Super Nintendo conversion of Konami‘s 1991 arcade hit, Sunset Riders, is considered to be something of a classic on the system, and it is a lot of fun to play, either single-player, or with two players playing simultaneous co-op.

You can choose from four different Wild West heroes – Steve, Bob, Billy, and Cormano – and must shoot and jump your way through eight scrolling levels, plus two bonus stages. At the end of each stage is a boss battle, where you have to beat and apprehend a variety of wanted criminals who’re shown as a wanted poster at the beginning of the level.

This port is generally quite close to the arcade original, although stage six has been censored, with all of the Native American warriors (and their boss, Chief Scalpem), being removed and replaced with generic bad guys (not the first time a colonial nation has tried to cover up its past). The Japanese version, however, is uncensored and is the same as the arcade version.

Sunset Riders is a colourful, fun game with plenty of surprises, like having to jump over a stampeding herd of cattle during the first level, or galloping alongside a train to shoot bad guys in the second level. Overall, Sunset Riders is arguably the best Wild West action game ever made. I can’t think of another Western-themed game that’s better. If you know of one: please comment below.

More: Sunset Riders on Wikipedia