It's no secret that playing the Game Boy Advance in a dimly lit room is like competing in a blindfolded porcupine-wrangling event at the county fair. Anyone who's tried to play Castlevania: Circle of the Moon anywhere but under a hand-scorching desk lamp will attest to the fact that he or she would have paid an extra 10 bucks for the choice of a built-in backlight. Granted, Game Boy Advance games have gradually improved where brightness is concerned, but any serious player knows that there are still times when a light it needed to play. Nintendo has yet to supply its own official lighting solution for the GBA, so third-party peripheral makers have stepped up to the plate and delivered their own illuminating solutions. In fact, a small faction called Portable Monopoly is currently taking orders for kits that will modify your Game Boy Advance and make it backlit. When the kits are shipped and we've had our chance to try it out you'll find our report here.

Before moving on to the reviews, it should be stated that these lights demonstrate that Nintendo was right for not including a backlit screen in the Game Boy Advance. Most of them will crush a new set of Duracells in a 10 hours or less--even while playing with the sound off. Another common problem with most of these lights is reflection. The shiny surface of the Game Boy Advance screen reflects the light source back at your eyes, causing a noticeable glare on the screen. Despite these common ailments, there are few lights that perform adequately well, and we hope you'll use this guide to aid you in your own purchasing decisions.