This wonderful gem has all the hallmarks of a good Capcom game. Good Graphics, good music, and challenge. Too much challenge. Many may skip this title due to the overflowing commonality of 8-bit games sometimes having too much difficulty to make up for the lack of substance. But Capcom does not do such a thing. All of the challenge seems to be tested in all their games. (At least the ones I played, and that's allot.) The rewards are a high score, a twist ending, and a very beautiful piece of music at the credits real in the end.The art work gives up on too much detail at all the right depths and inserts a mini close up shot of the characters faces when they speak like a random "R.P.G." of the time. Only this game is tense action and problem solving skills. You can get tired of the trial and error method real quick.(Remember most people played games for only 30 min to one hour at a time. Back in the day.) Passwords were a blessing, and this game has just that feature built in like many Capcom games. While it's not as memorable as "Ninja Gaiden" it's worth a look. For challenge fans, this one will give you pain to get those three letters in.
I recommend this title to nostalgia fans. "Codename Viper" is a fun weekend challenge.
Peace.