N+ may sound more like the title of a math game instead of a game featuring ninja. And in some ways, that's an apt description, as N+ involves a ninja who can't actually do any of the cool ninja tricks we've become used to from movies and video games.

There's no nunchuck, no katana, no shuriken, and no cheesy dialogue – just a little ninja with a massive leap. Using only the mathematics of physics, your little ninja has to leap to a switch and open a door to escape a massive complex whose only existence appears to be finding ways to kill you.

Each room in the complex is a pitfall of chasms, elevators, bombs, electrical traps lasers and missiles. For each level, you have to locate the switch to open the door, negotiate your way past the obstacles, and then find your way to the door before the count down ends. The time doesn't restart at a new level, either, and your only defence is your leap.

All you do to play the game is press the A button to leap, and move the stick to control the direction of the leap. Holding down A for longer makes you leap further, and you can control your trajectory mid flight. You can also bounce off walls to climb up higher and slide down walls to avoid falling to your death. To aid you in your quest, there are gold coins scattered about which extend your total time. Collect all the coins, and you start the next level with a full time bar.

It began life as a flash game, but became so popular that it was ported to consoles, and has lost nothing in translation. It sounds like it would be boring, but in the tradition of Prince of Persia (the original game, not the 3D remakes) N+ is an amazing time sink that you can really get lost in.

Although each level has the same objective, the way they're arranged and the way you approach each level is different. You can spend hours not being able to achieve the goal, becoming more and more frustrated, and then suddenly you'll figure it out and leap into the next level. One issue though is that next level may be easy as pie, and so the payoff doesn't feel too great, but it's only a minority of the stages that feel like this.

If you manage to beat the game, there's a very simple map editor that is easy to use, plus you can put these online for anyone to play. You can also download other maps to play from other players. The standard is the same with any player created maps though – some are good, some are too hard, and some are just really stupid. That's the risk you always take with user-created content though, which is why Microsoft have always been reluctant for Xbox Live to be flooded with it from other games.

But the thing you're probably paying for in N+ (even if you don't realise it) is the all-new multiplayer modes included in the Arcade release. No longer a lone-wolf, you can invite up to three friends to join you in split-screen or on Xbox Live, and play through the singleplayer levels, as well as tackle a series of custom-built co-op challenges that require you all to work together. Like the main game, these range wildly in difficulty, but are a real hoot to play.

There's also two adversarial modes; race and survival, which see you trying to get to the exit first or stay alive the longest. These multiplayer options also feature unique levels, and it is clear that a lot of time has been spent on balancing them and making them fun to play.

Overall, the multiplayer options are a fantastic addition to the series and make N+ an even better value buy, especially if you've got a couple of mates who also dream ninja dreams.