Don't be fooled by the silly graphics and goofy characters. This game is a gem and a definite buy if you own a GBA.

The training missions are very well done and bring you up to speed very quickly on how the game works. It's a feels too long, and by the 10th you're wishing you were over with training, but it really does help in the end.

Advance Wars is a huge game. There are many, many missions in the campaigns, as well as multiplayer capability. Unfortunately, I haven't played mutliplayer yet, so I can't comment on that.

The missions progress nicely in difficulty, and the last several you will likely play several times before getting it right. The back story that drives the game is rather poor, but that gripe is minor.

All of the counties have the same basic units, although the artwork looks different for each. The units are very well balanced, however, with nothing able to completely dominate a map. Winning requires placing your units where they compliment each other, and learning how best to do that is the biggest challenge of the game.

The mission objectives are almost always "wipe out the opponent," with a few "capture 15 cities" thrown in. This is the biggest weakness of the game, in my opinion. More mission variety could have made the single-player game much more enjoyable.

Overall, this game is almost always in my GBA. It's a great game, and perfect for passing a few spare minutes because you can save any time you like.