Metal Gear Solid - Game Boy Color

Anyone familiar with the PlayStation title of the same name (or the older

Anyone familiar with the PlayStation title of the same name (or the older Metal Gear game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System) will be familiar with the gameplay. You are Solid Snake and must rely more on stealth than brute force to sneak through a variety of enemy-infested levels. The bad guys (and security cameras) have a limited cone of vision, and savvy players will stay out of the detection zone so they can save their strength for the real challenges that wait near the end of each level. Controls are simple but effective. You can lay prone (a good way to disappear into mud or tall grass), press up against walls, and easily access an inventory screen to equip and use items. You'll find a plethora of weapons along the way, perfect for those moments when stealth alone just isn't going to cut it.

The graphics are great, but it's the spot-on accurate control that makes this game truly shine. Players are free to practice in nearly 200 fun VR missions or can simply jump into the real thing: a 13-level campaign, complete with cut scenes. Konami packed an amazing amount of excitement into this little cartridge, making it a title no Game Boy Color owner will want to miss. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Nice graphics and animation for a GBC game
• Much of the gameplay of the PlayStation hit compressed into a handheld format

• Sometimes the screen just isn't big enough to make the game fair