First, the bad...
After a lame opening sequence the menu screen appears, and the two main sections of the game are there for you to choose. Now, I'm 99% certain that 99% of you will never even bother to look at the Quest element of the game. Maybe one day you will inadvertently stab the A button at the wrong moment (perhaps when you've come back from the pub and your reactions are not as sharp as they normally are), but even then I doubt you'll venture to try it out. This is good; because it isn't worth your time.
Its sub-Zelda style adventuring; repetitive, untaxing and pretty unrewarding stuff. In Hudson's defense I doubt this section of the game was designed with the more seasoned gamer in mind. This in itself is a shame, because it means the developers have spent time and cartridge space here that could have been channeled into the more traditional Bomberman experience.
They even go so far as to add an odd Pokemon-esque sub-element to the quest which sees you collecting creatures called Karabon to use in fights with other characters in the game. Unfortunately, it still doesn't make the main quest any more enjoyable.
Now the good stuff...
Battle mode is great. It really is the old Bomberman we know and love so dearly. Options from some of the later incarnations appear such as the Revenge feature, and up to 4 players (CPU or other GBA owning folk) can duke it out across 8 different arenas. Great stuff.
This is one of those games that would force even the most ignorant of today's gamers to acknowledge that there was something magic about the 16bit era. You will soon find yourself swearing at your Gameboy Advance, laughing maniacally as you trap someone in a corner with a well placed bomb, or throwing the game down in disgust as you lose count of how many times you've suffered a humiliating defeat. I grant you, it is a simple mechanic on display here, but it is damn good fun.
Even if you can't always find other people to play against, the CPU opponents are good enough for a quick blast and can still manage to make you play the game for longer than you had intended.
However, with only 8 arenas it won't be long before you tire of the scenery on offer. Yes, they do each offer small elements to effect the gameplay (with Hi-power, a somewhat extreme example, being a firm favourite at the moment), but it would have been nice if Hudson had ditched the Quest element altogether and instead crammed the cartridge with as many weird and wonderful Battle arenas as possible.
The graphics are excellent; sharply drawn and, sporting a fine palette of bright colours, you will not be disappointed. Sonically you have the standard bomb blasts and spot effects, and an annoyingly catchy Victory screen tune which also shows off the Gameboy Advance's sprite scaling and rotation abilities in a low-key fashion.
However, Bomberman is purely about gameplay, and, in the Battle mode at least, this shines through brilliantly. Go out and buy it.
Score: 7/10
Text by Rob Cook