Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories - Game Boy Color

Even before you open the manual Yu-Gi-Oh! creates a mountain of confusion, so let's get the name out of the way first: it means "King of Games" in Japanese and is a pun around Yugi, the main character from the cartoon. Thankfully, you don't need to know anything about the cartoon but a working knowledge of the original card game is helpful because there's no in-game tutorial, only a physical manual.

Although Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories lacks the user-friendliness of Pokémon Trading Card Game it does offer some incredibly in-depth gameplay. The basic goal of each battle is to whittle your opponent's life points down to zero by "attacking" his deck of cards with yours. There are, of course, an almost infinite number of complications you can add to this basic premise with fusion moves, rituals, traps, offers and so on.

Considering there are over 10,000 unique cards and the option of constructing your own out of constituent parts, this is not a game you're ever likely to be bored by, assuming you like the initial premise to begin with. And that's the game's only problem, really--it assumes you already like Yu-Gi-Oh! and know how to play it. Any newcomers to the concept should prepare themselves for a sharp learning curve. --David Jenkins