The Pokemon lie: This is a very solid game! :D

If you're reading this, you're probably in at least one of the following groups:

1) You're a Pokemon fan! Not as many of these as there once were, and there's not that much here for you. Pokemon play a very peripheral role in this game; if there were no Pokemon at all it would be about the same game. However, you do "collect" Pokemon wandering in the main (Challenge) game mode. There are also pictures of Pokemon abound, although only 26 Pokemon are depicted at all in the game (including Pikachu and some of the new gold/silver ones).

If you're mainly a Pokemon fan and you have an N64, I'd highly recommend the N64 version of Pokemon Puzzle (League) instead of this. Although it's basically the same game, but there are VERY nice animations and lots of the characters (including gym leaders, Team Rocket, Misty, etc) are included, with some very nice voice. The Gameboy version, of course, has no voice, and none of your favorite characters (except the new gym leaders). The N64 version has none of the new Pokemon or gym leaders.

2) You're a puzzle game fan. If so, this is a great game to buy if you're in the Gameboy market. I'm about the only one who never really got into the original Tetris or Tetris DX (although I love "The New Tetris"; see my Epinion on that!). This is the only puzzle game for the Gameboy that I've spent some time on.

The rules for this game are like the highly popular and critically loved game "Tetris Attack" for the NES and SNES -- it is NOT like the normal Tetris in any way except for being a puzzle game.

The rules for this game are fairly simple, but take a long time to master. You start with a stack with different colored blocks, and the stack moves "up" slowly to reveal more blocks beneath it. When the stack (or other blocks -- more about this later) hit the top of the screen, you lose. You control a little cursor that you can move around the screen that surrounds two blocks. When you press the "A" button, it switches the two blocks (or moves one into an empty space, if there's only one block in your cursor). If you get three or more blocks in a row, they're cleared (and the blocks on top of them, if any, fall down).

This might sound intimidating for some, but after learning it it becomes easy, even for kids. My mom doesn't like games that are too complex (she's only played Centipede and The New Tetris in the last year), but got the N64 version of this game for Christmas (which is basically the same game with more features and much better presentation), and she was very intimidated at first, but now plays it every time I visit her. She's pretty good, but I still beat her. :(

The game has several modes, of which the major ones are "Challenge," "Marathon," and "Line Clear." Challenge is the main mode, in which you "battle" each gym leader's Pokemon -- you "attack" them by doing "combos" or "chains." Combos are getting 4 or more blocks cleared in a row -- the larger the combo, the better. Chains are getting two or more block clears (no matter what the size) in a row -- by having blocks "fall" into spaces created by cleared blocks. These are the best and VERY difficult to do while you're starting -- training mode can help you with these, or just practice like I did. The best chain I've gotten has been 6 clears in a row, although I got as many as 9 on the N64 version (which has modes with lots more blocks). One disadvantage of the Gameboy versus the N64 version is that you can't see your opponent (or the computer's) play area and what you're doing to them. You (theoretically) send blocks on top of their screen when you do chains/combos, but all you see is a meter showing how high their playfield is. They also send blocks on you, but you can't see what they are doing.

Marathon mode and Line Clear mode are similar, and just let you keep playing until you clear enough blocks. They both have "stories" of either getting new Pokemon or fighting Team Rocket, but they're pretty weak. :D

3) You want a cheap game that will last you a long time. This game, like all Gameboy games, won't cost you that much. It will probably keep you playing almost as long as any $80 Final Fantasy game, though. If you liked Tetris (which I don't), you'll like this a ton and probably play it as much or more. If you didn't like Tetris (like me), you'll probably like it too.

I haven't played the multiplayer mode on this game, but I'm sure it's as good as Tetris or similar games. I've played multiplayer on the N64 and it's very fun, although just like in Tetris if two people have very different skill levels it's not that great.

If you fall into any of the above categories, I recommend this game. It'll last you a long time and is a great puzzle game. If you have an N64 and aren't too into the portable feature though, I highly recommend the N64 version (Pokemon Puzzle League) instead! :D