ININ, Tozai Games, and Irem are back with the third installment of the Irem Collection. If you played Volume 1 and Volume 2 already, you know pretty much what to expect: three emulated Irem arcade games from yesteryear, enhanced with save states, rewind, cheats, button mapping, etc. Volume 3 manages to shake things up ever so slightly, however. As opposed to the sci-fi shooters and military run-and-gun games of previous installments, this one focuses on fantasy shoot-'em-ups. 

The first game is Mr. Heli, a multi-directional shooter that debuted in Japan in 1987. Known in North America as Battle Chopper, the game features an adorable, bulbous helicopter with little mechanical legs that flies up, down, left, and right. Mr. Heli is arguably the jewel of the collection, for several reasons. For one, the game benefits greatly from gameplay that is slower and more exploratory than in your typical shmup. It almost bleeds into action-adventure territory. For another, there's an intriguing economic component, in which you chip away at rock formations to collect crystals that can then be redeemed for more powerful lasers, missiles, shields, etc. You can do this by firing your main shot forward, or by launching missiles upward or dropping bombs downward. Finally, the levels are substantial and diverse, and feature both bosses and mini-bosses.

Don't let the game's cute visuals and charming music lure you into a false sense of security, though. Mr. Heli can get downright brutal in later levels.

Far easier is Mystic Riders, a 1992 game that clearly takes lessons from the Cotton series. This one stars two broom-riding magicians — Mark the wizard and Zeal the witch — who zip through fantasy environments fighting giant sky turtles and other mythical creatures. While the game is less taxing than other Irem shooters, it has a lot going for it: charming sprites, backdrops, and effects; two-player local co-op; two types of magic attacks; and, most importantly, the ability to deploy your broom like a boomerang in all directions, to defeat enemies and block projectiles. 

Note: Mystic Riders was released exclusively in Japanese arcades, making this collection the first opportunity for an international audience to experience the hidden gem on modern platforms.

Volume 3 also marks the first international console release of the 1989 horizontally-scrolling shooter Dragon Breed, the third game in the collection. In this tense shoot-'em-up, you control a human pilot atop a large multi-segmented dragon, which is immune from enemy damage. Your human character is exceedingly squishy, however, so you must use the dragon's whip-like body to shield the rider from harm, while at the same time firing your crossbow. It's an interesting conceit, elevated by a compelling post-apocalyptic setting and some outstanding chiptune music.

In addition to the games above, Volume 3 comes with a single console port: the 1989 PC Engine/TurboGrafx version of Mr. Heli. It's inferior graphically, but it includes a secondary mode that reduces the difficulty and some control tweaks.

Apart from the PC Engine port, there aren't any special or bonus features to speak of. The collection includes all the typical amenities — rewind, save states, and the like — but no instruction manuals, art galleries, music players, etc. It does arrive with worldwide leaderboards, however, which are definitely welcome.

Despite the lack of ancillary features, Volume 3 is the best installment of the Irem Collection so far. Not only are the games here rarer than in earlier volumes, but they're better. Indeed, there isn't a bad one in the bunch; all of the titles range from good to great. If you're a diehard shoot-'em-up fan on a budget who wants to invest only in a single volume, make it this one.