Ah, Bomberman. One of the industry's best loved series from Japanese software house Hudson, the multi-player phenomenon, which first appeared in 1989 on the NES, has continued to please gamers, both old and new, for more than a decade. 2003, and the infamous big-headed bombers aren't through yet, as the Red version of Bomberman Max 2 hits Game Boy Advance.

Bomber Base, Planet Bomber - the location where Bomberman and Max are assigned to protect the peace in the universe. One day, the HIGE ... more >>

Ah, Bomberman. One of the industry's best loved series from Japanese software house Hudson, the multi-player phenomenon, which first appeared in 1989 on the NES, has continued to please gamers, both old and new, for more than a decade. 2003, and the infamous big-headed bombers aren't through yet, as the Red version of Bomberman Max 2 hits Game Boy Advance.

Bomber Base, Planet Bomber - the location where Bomberman and Max are assigned to protect the peace in the universe. One day, the HIGE HIGE bandits, led by the evil Mujoe, shrunk Bomberman and Max to the size of ants by using their secret weapon, The Mini-Mini Device. In order for Bomberman and Max to return to their normal size, they must destroy the Mini-Mini Device. And so the newest adventure of Bomberman and Max begins!

Okay, not the most imaginative story out there, but it's the gameplay that's most important, and in Bomberman Max, it's as good as it was 14 years ago. It's the second Bomberman game available for Nintendo's magical handheld and this time there are a respectable 80 stages to progress through, littered with numerous bomb-dropping bad guys and collectibles.

In that respect, the Red version of Bomberman Max is nothing to shout home about. That is until you link it to an accompanying Blue version of the same game, a la Pokemon. With both games linked, players can unlock some 20 hidden areas and play one of eight multi-player mini-games. And using just a single pack, four Game Boys can be linked together for a traditional Bomberman skirmish.

Great stuff, and perhaps reason enough in itself to buy a GameBoy Advance. << less