For a rather simplistic and irregular character, Bomberman has made a pretty good career for himself blowing random things up on a daily basis. The little explosive-toting mentalist has blown his way onto many consoles, and to the delight of many fans, the Gameboy Advance is now a new one in the list.

     In essence, the game remains relatively the same, yeah, you play as Bomberman, yeah, you blow stuff up, but the GBA version encompasses some rather delicious game modes that are sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone!

     One of the most enjoyable additions is the Pokémon-influenced quest mode, which sees Bomberman prancing around an obscure forest helping people find things whilst collecting monsters that can be trained (Pokémon) and fought against others. Then there's the simple matter of blowing things up, but that's so yesterday for this new-age hipster!

     The original mode still remains though. Solo play sees you pitted against other computer controlled Bombermen for a fight to the death in a wide variety of arenas. But if you're more of a multi-player, then you'll gladly devour the 4-player mode like it was some kind of explosive biscuit. Using the wonderful link cable that is simply a must for a GBA owner, you and your mates can battle it out, and the best bit is; you only need one cartridge, so much for so little!

     As far as graphics go, Bomberman looks exactly like its predecessors, so if you've played them, you'll know what I mean. But of course, if you haven't, then I can tell you that all of the games involve lots of bright colours with some black bits. It doesn't extend much further than that. It's a simple game, what more do you want?

     If you've got a link cable for your GBA, then you're in for a treat. The multiplayer side of Bomberman is what has kept it alive for so many years. Although it's a very simple concept, just walk around dropping bombs in the hope that one of the opposing force will be near when it happens to blow up, It remains fun no matter how many times you play it. Yet another upside (It just keeps on giving) is that you need only one cartridge to let the battles take place.

     Being reviewer and possessing morals like no other, it's only far that I comment on the faults of Bomberman, it might be simple, but it's still got 'em.

     For one, the game lacks in diversity, even the RPG element gets repetitive and the multiplayer aspects get painful after extensive exposure, but nevertheless, in short burst the game's a blast.

     One thing I love about games like this is power-ups. They're just great. I remember the power-ups in R-Type. Picking up rather harmless-looking blobs resulted in your spacecraft turning into one badass metal monster. Okay, so the power-ups in Bomberman don't give you the ability to fire HUGE lasers at your enemies totally annihilating them, but the ones you can get do come in handy.

     The kick power-up for instance. Once you've places a bomb, you can kick it away from you. This can be done with other people's bombs too, but the timing has to be perfect or it's bye bye for you!

     In summary, if it's raining outside and you just happen to have 4 GBAs with a copy of Bomberman tournament and a link cable and three friends of course, then I can't think of anything better to do than battle it out until one of you is crying out in shame and banging their arms and legs against the floor. Once more, it's only 20 quid, what are you waiting for?