At last the Final Fantasy series makes it to the Gameboy Advance and not before time! Renowned the world over for exquisite gameplay, graphics, sound and story, the Final Fantasy series is one that rivals the likes of Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto for pulling in the punters. Now, before you start reading this review I must warn you I don't work for Square Cnix, Nintendo, or anyone else related to the manufacture of this game, but by the time you finish reading this review you're going to think I do, because I cannot sing its praises highly enough!

So what's it all about then? Well, the story is simple enough. A young lad called Marche is having a bit of a hard time, being the new kid in a small town. Bullied at his new school he is taken under the wing of an outspoken and strong-minded lass called Ritz and also in a quiet and shy way by another youngster called Mewt. After a bit of a nasty snowball fight in which one bully throws a snowball with a rock in it at Mewt they all retire to Marche's house to lick their wounds. As it happens, one of them has purchased an odd book with weird pictures and obscure text, which they pore over with great interest. Overnight Marche dreams of this weird world, where monsters and strange fluffy things walk side by side with humans, only to find when he wakes up he has become part of this odd place. Marche is thrust into a bizarre environment with only an odd moogle as his companion, as he tries to make his way home.

How he makes his way is developed through some deceptively simple, yet deviously deep, gameplay. The game at its core is a series of turn-based battles but it's a core you have to dig deep to get through, as it's incredibly involved. After eight hours of solid gameplay I was still being surprised at every turn. At first you're presented with a map with very few areas noted. One such area is a little town containing a Pub, a Prison and Monster Bank. As it happens most of the towns have these facilities but the import of the latter two aren't revealed until much later. The Pub is your first port of call, where you meet a bunch of otherworldly creatures trying to form a clan. It seems the best way to get on in this world is to be part of one.

Once in this clan you're introduced to your friendly neighbourhood barkeeper. He'll keep you updated on the latest rumours, be it other clan movements, magical goings-on, tricks, tips and other such gossip. Besides this, as the barkeeper hears and sees all from the comings and goings of his patrons he also knows of various missions you can set out on. These missions are fundamental to the success of your career in this odd other world and they are many and varied in nature.

However, it certainly isn't a case of just choosing a mission and then off you go. Although many involve going into battle alongside your clan members against various monsters, mages and enemy clan members, quite often you have to send members of your clan away individually to accomplish tasks. These can be anything from posing for a sculpture to being a bodyguard, or finding hidden documents and so on. However, send the wrong kind of clan member and the mission could well fail. As missions cost money and you often don't get a second chance at them it's important you weigh up the skills of your various clan members to send the one who has the best possible chance of success.

The skills of the members depend on what race they are. Humans are good all-rounders, whilst Viera (weird rabbit-like creatures) are much faster and make good archers and assassins. Moogles are very dextrous and are good thieves and black mages. Nu Mou are bizarre gelfling type things that concentrate on the magical arts, including white magic and mastering the various mythical beasts you're likely to meet. Finally you have the Bangaa, fearsome looking lizard things that are masters of the weapon, who see war as a religion and obtain impressive fighting skills as they progress. However, the skills of each race go deeper than that, depending on what items and weapons you give them. Certain staffs are more likely to make mages learn the ways of fire and earthquakes, some weapons can hone skills in the broadsword, whilst items of various natures can lead to successful careers as pickpockets, beastmasters, archers or hunters. It really is a case of experimenting with the items available to each race and seeing how they use them in encounters with other creatures of this realm. Half the fun is the voyage of discovery as each character develops.

Developing characters does mean they have to go into battle, or encounters, and earn some serious experience points. The higher the level, the more skills they earn, the more likely they are to complete quests and so earn your clan money and special items needed to complete other expeditions. These encounters seem like the meat and bones of the game but I have often spent more time just playing with the items, weapons and clothing of my clan. Anyway, turn based combat it is but with a few neat little twists. You're placed on an isometric playing field that gives it a neat little 3D feel. Image a chessboard tilted up onto one corner, covered in all types of terrain; lava flows, mountains, rivers, trees, houses and so on. Some terrain is easy to traverse, some not. Stand waist deep in a river and you can't do that much but fight from the top of a hill and you've got the advantage. The tactics involve getting behind or to one side of your enemy while at the same time not exposing either side to them yourself. It's harder than it sounds and takes some lateral thinking to accomplish.

It's best that when you go into battle you take a mixed group with you. Try and have a healer to hand, because you're going to take some damage. If you have a black mage they're often handy to strike down the nippy rabbit-like creatures that evade your arrows and swords. Any clan member who can control beasts is pretty cool to have in a tight spot as well. It's a lot of fun to set an enemy dragon on its comrades, for example.

Another weird twist is that this strange place has a set of laws upheld by a kind of knight who impartially rules over the battlefield handing out yellow or red cards, depending on the misdemeanour. At the start of the battle you're told you can use some skills but not others. If you break the law you're sent to prison and your clan has to buy you out. This does make a battle interesting, as quite often you find the strengths you've built up in your team all of a sudden can't be used in a battle, so you have to use your wits and think up another tactic. One such law is not being able to use swords, which eliminated most of my team in one fell swoop and I had to rely purely on archers and mages to win the battle. This was no easy task, considering I'd built my warrior classes to stupendous levels! It really does force you to put together a well balanced and good all round team. This adds something to the game I've not seen in anything previously. Other games can be completed through might alone, but not this one!

The tactics involved, the development of the races, the missions and expeditions are all quietly presented to you over a gradual bedding-in period. This is great, as it really gives you a chance to sit back and enjoy an exciting but beautiful ride. The developers of this game have taken every possible facet of the Gameboy Advance's graphical capabilities and used them to the full. Right at the very beginning you're presented with a great intro and a lovely, snow-dusted, softly lit town. The lights sparkle up at you as you look over this quiet town and snowflakes float quietly across the sky. The characters you come across fit perfectly into this landscape, being children in a white-clad playground. Climbing up and down snow covered objects and throwing snowballs is captured in such a beautiful fashion and as the characters head off to their homes you're presented with a busy town replete with cars, adults, cafes and bars. The attention to detail is great and even carries over the impression of the kids living somewhere seedy.

Once you're transported to the other world the graphics just get better and better! The towns you visit, the pubs you drink at, the forests you search, the deserts you cross, the mountain passes you negotiate - all are so subtle, yet so detailed. At first you don't notice things like the lava flow in a volcano scene, because the movement is so, well, lava-like! The natural settings are almost as if you're watching Michael Palin about to ride a camel into the sunset and the clan-held towns are often reminiscent of Kate Adie in various war torn parts of faraway places. The atmosphere captured by these images is sublime.

The characters that develop in this land look very cutesy and sometimes childish, but again have had attention lavishly pored over them in their creation. The close up of each has somehow been made quite individual. The lines and shades are again used in subtle fashions to impress upon the viewer attributes of the character, be it the haughtiness of the archers, the kindliness of the white mage or the mischievousness of the moogles. In battle, although they are represented by very small figures on the battlefield, it's not problem telling them apart. A lot of the special effects are very good too, be it sword swipes, the fiery breath of dragons or the incredible super powers of the totema you can eventually start to summon. The whole game is overflowing with atmosphere and character, thanks as much to the graphics as the story and gameplay.

Oh, and let's not forget the sound! Even the most simple of sounds like the squeaking of a moogle (it's very cute), the swish of a sword or the sudden blast of a great deal of magical energy being expended has had no expense spared on it. The thud of hitting someone with a giant earthenware bell is quite satisfying, which is not something that I would ever have thought I'd end up saying! Alongside this is a wide variety of music, be it for different missions, on the world map, choosing items for your characters or even just getting the latest gossip from the barkeeper. Although it can get a little repetitive from time to time, it still makes great use of the sound card and little speaker on the console. However, I'd recommend you wear earphones to get the full benefit.

This game is truly vast and will take you a very long time to complete, whilst keeping your interest strong and the pace and enjoyment never waver. And just to add even more to the lifespan, there are a number of link options where you can play co-operatively, go head to head, share rumours and items or trade clan members. This game is will just run and run and is one of the greatest value for money games you could ever buy.

What more can I say? The Final Fantasy franchise has done it again! A great story combined with absorbing gameplay, blistering graphics, cracking sound and fantastic multiplayer options makes this absolutely unbeatable. It is one of the best, if not the absolute best game ever to be released on the Game Boy Advance and anyone who says otherwise is going to have a black mage moogle thunderclap in their face!

Reviewed by Dave Wynn for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).