I'm A Pokemon Convert!

I admit I used to hate Pokemon and the whole Pokemon craze. I didn't see any value or purpose in these funny little creatures all over the stores.

But then I played two Gameboy games: Azure Dreams and Dragon Warrior Monsters. I enjoyed both of them, but heard that Pokemon was similar but even better. So I gave Pokemon Gold a try. I'm now a Pokemon convert! This is one of the best Gameboy games I've ever played.

In the game, you're a young boy who trains Pokemon (pocket monsters). You start out with one Pokemon given to you by Professor Elm. Like any good adventure game, you're sent on various journeys to help people, find treasures, deliver objects, fight your evil enemies, etc. Along the way, though, you catch wild Pokemon. You can train and breed these Pokemon so they become even better fighters.

There are over 200 Pokemon to catch. Here's the wonderful marketing gimmick: Not all Pokemon are available in a single version of the game. In other words, if you have Pokemon Gold, you have to trade Pokemon (via a game link cable) with somebody who has Pokemon Silver. If you have Pokemon Silver, you'll want to trade Pokemon with a friend who has Pokemon Gold. You can also receive Pokemon from the earlier version of the game like Pokemon Red and Blue.

If you're really addicted, you might just want to buy both Pokemon Gold and Silver. (I guess this is what the marketing people were hoping for!)

Game control doesn't require a lot of skill. Battle moves are done in turn by picking attack moves from a menu. There's no need for the player to be quick on the game control pad. This is not a Super Mario type of game.

The music isn't bad. There are a variety of tunes as you move from forests to cities to buildings, etc. Occasionally, I turn the sound down, but I do this on most games I play anyway.

And like most adventure games, you have a pack of handy items you carry around with you. But Pokemon Gold/Silver has one of the best systems for organizing your items. You have a backpack with four pockets for sorting your stuff. You can easily switch pockets using the left and right arrows and scroll through the items using the up and down arrows. This system is so much better than other games where you just have one long list of items to scroll through.

The graphics are excellent for the Gameboy platform. The Pokemon are overly cute. Even the meanest monster is still cute! The terrain is also well done. On your travels, you'll go through grass, caves, lakes, oceans, hills... there is a HUGE world to explore in this game!

Also, the terrain will look a little different depending on what time of day you're playing. Since Pokemon Gold/Silver has a built in clock (you set the clock the first time you play the game), the game changes from morning to day to night. At night the terrain will look darker (although the graphics are still clear and easy to see). Also, there are different Pokemon to catch at different times of day! So if you want to catch 'em all, you will have to play this game in the morning, day, and night!

But you won't mind because you'll be an addicted Pokemon convert just like me.