With the incoming Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, the GBA is nearing its retirement and getting to that age where, after years of long service, its reign as king of handhelds is coming to an end. The electronic equivalent of incontinence sets in and it can no longer hold its own against the vibrant youth of the newer machines. A granddad of consoles, the humble GBA, doesn't have long to go people, but much like any aging has-been, there's still a little left in the tank.

With more than a few driving duffers, like Starsky and Hutch, Midnight Club and Need for Speed under its belt, racing titles on the GBA are particularly hit and miss, so given the focus on the new wave of handhelds, you could be forgiven for thinking that the latest releases on the GBA aren't gonna be what they used to. Sod all that though, 'cos Racing Gears Advance is one of the most wonderfully crafted titles I've had the fortune to play on my little blue clamshell and has kept me happy through the entirety of a ten hour return trip from Brighton to Birmingham - quite something for a racing game.

A large list of licensed manufacturers greets you at the opening with twelve cars from Lotus to Dodge, each driven by a stereotypical fruit-loof from a variety of countries having their own wacky abilities like an electrified car or high explosive weapons. Selecting one of these nutbag drivers throws you into the pre-race screen, which shows you the driving conditions, the state of your car and items available to buy. Whilst not being hugely involved, this setup screen is all-important to your chances of winning. Considerations have to be made about the roadworthiness of your motor, as this has a huge impact on the way that your chosen car performs and thought has to be given to the variety of weapons at your disposal. On top of all this, the upgrades and range of tyres mean that simply buying enough rockets to fry your opponents may help you with one race, but in the longer term it may not be a wise move.

Much like real life, these matters become balancing acts and with such little cash and so many upgrades choices, can be very difficult indeed. Having to sell all your weapon cells, engine mods and neglecting to repair your battered vehicle in an effort to scrape together enough cash for some snow tyres may seem stupid, but in many cases, it's the only way you're ever going to win a race. It's all very well having an involved setup menu, but where Racing Gears Advance comes off a winner is in the competitions themselves, when all your hard work and book balancing turns into results on the track.

Going out with the wrong setup means losing at the end of the day and equally devastating to your chances is not knowing the courses, as the amount of shortcuts turn many a race into an off-road ramble through trees, houses and jumps. The tracks can change from road to dirt to ice to snow very quickly, leaving you with some furious D-pad jerking to do. With twenty or so courses, each with varying degrees of shortcuts and difficulty, there's a lot to keep you happy and the championship mode, which is long and can be infuriatingly difficult, won't see you complete the game within a week of regular play. Some fitting physics and a few nice touches like the pole position mini-game and a tremendously fun multiplayer raise Racing Gears far above any racing title I've ever played on the Advance, even without the clever pre-race setup.

A kind of rich man's Super Sprint, Racing Gears does a lot to up the enjoyability by treating you to some lovely visuals throughout. Smooth, well-adorned tracks and some apt (if a little generic) tunes make it a title that goes from strength to strength the more you play (even if your girlfriend won't let you have the sound up on the train). The tracks are always mercifully clear and apart from the other drivers and their itchy trigger fingers, there's very little that turns you off about the driving.

Racing Gears Advance is a marvellous game through and through and with very few niggles it's difficult to argue against buying it. For some the difficulty may be a little frustrating and later on in the game it seems a little fruitless to fork out on weapons, but it's balanced, clever and exciting, almost forcing you to have one more go. Yes folks, there's plenty of life in the GBA yet and for those that doubt it, check out Racing Gears Advance.

Reviewed by Tom LeClerc for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).