Being the huge fan of scary, violent, sick and twisted games that I am (the Mary Kate & Ashley Game Boy Color series springs to mind), it was quite strange to be playing something slightly different for once. Planet Monsters on the Game Boy Advance sadly (for me) has none of the aforementioned traits that would usually attract me to a video game, but has still managed to hold my interest longer than the annual 'teacher mud-wrestling championships' our school holds every March.

Planet Monsters is a simple yet enjoyable Bomberman-esque type game, giving you the task of eliminating your opponents from the playing field by killing them off. Sounds nasty, but believe me when I say it's not. Whereas Bomberman has you wandering about dropping bombs in carefully selected places, Planet Monsters has taken a more environment friendly approach. Instead of blowing up your surrounding in the hope of blowing up your opponents, you must kick the blocks - which make up the levels - at your opponents when they cross in front of you. Be warned though, as this is exactly what they're aiming to do in return.

Being the genre of game that it is, you wouldn't think any kind of story would be necessary. However, make of this what you will: "Some time ago, a huge comet collided with the Sun. As a result, man disappeared from Earth, along with all human technology and scientific knowledge. All human beings started mutating and our planet is now populated by warlike and uncontrollable mutants. In order to bring order back on Earth, the Universal Society decided to organise a new competition. Fighting arenas were built all over our globe for the Planet Monsters to fight against one another. There's only one rule: be the last one standing, no matter what..."

So, you're part of this crazy tournament trying to save your own bacon by frying everyone else's. Thankfully that's a simple task, thanks to the wonderful control set up. All your movement is taken care of with the d-pad, whilst your methods of attack are assigned to a button each. The L trigger lets you cycle through the power ups you collect as you play, A lets you kick the blocks at your opponents and B allows you to use the actual power ups (which come in the form of glue guns, springs to jump with and so on.)

Running about each level with said controls in mind is at first a world of fun. Using the little radar in the corner of your screen to learn of the whereabouts of each opponent, you can have some sneaky fun by surprising them with a block headed straight towards them. Sadly, however, the fun soon wears off and the whole process turns into something of a chore to make it through each level. That's just the single player though; multiplayer is good fun and worthwhile if you've got some friends with their own copy of the game.

The graphics are bold and colourful; they really do look great on the little GBA screen. Paths you can take and dead-ends are clearly marked out, allowing you to navigate with ease. The monsters themselves are - for want of a better word - cute, with a fair amount of detail and attention to animation. The presentation in the game is great throughout in fact and it's somewhat reminiscent of Rainbow Islands. The sound is a mixed bag though; it's once again a case of not too good, not too bad. There's nothing annoying, but there's also nothing you'll be singing long after playing.

Planet Monsters is a nice, fluffy Bomberman clone, which despite being fun at first, is worth it only for the multiplayer side. If you have friends (which I'm sure you do), then pick up a copy, otherwise you might find the fun wearing a bit thin before you feel like you've got your money's worth.

Reviewed by Alistair Bloomer for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).