Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

You know the old saying-third time's the charm. Sonic Advance 3 for GBA SP definitely fits that saying.
Sonic Advance 3 is the third installment of the Sonic ADvance series, and also the last. But it definitely goes out with a bang. It combines a lot of the stuff you liked from the first two, and combines it with a new feature-Tag Action.
Tag Action can be used by pressing and holding the R trigger button. The game no longer has only 1 character-this time, you choose a player character to be the leader, and a secondary partner to go along with you. If you're playing the Main Game with a friend, he will be the partner. You can use all different kinds of moves by using Tag Action, and with 25 different combinations, you can make over 50 different moves(Tag Action can be Ground or Air based).
The Gameplay is basically the same as the second installment. You run around a high speed course collecting rings and items. Score has been removed from this game. You no longer receive time and ring bonuses. Instead, you jump into the Goal Medal at the end and get a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal depending on your time. You have 10 minutes to complete each act, which is usually more than enough time. Boost mode is still there, too. You go faster by collecting rings, and if you're going fast enough, you go into Boost Mode, a high speed mode where you leave after-images and go faster than normal.
Music is great in this game. It keeps you going and the music fits each level really well. They also put guitars in their music that you might notice, and it really enhances the feel of the gameplay.
The way you collect Chaos Emeralds is quite tedious. First, you have to find 10 hidden Chao in the Hub-World and the 3 acts. once you do this, go in one of the three acts and get the special key. Then, you have to find the special spring on the map, and complete the special stage. These stages have you flying around in the Tornado collecting rings and avoiding bombs, much like the other two Advance games.
The multiplayer modes are fun, too. In Single-Pak mode you play a little game of Capture the Flag, as you find a Chao and try to keep it for the remaining time. Your opponents(up to 3) can try to attack you and get it for themselves. In Multi-Pak mode, you can race your friends in the different acts, or play the main game with a friend as your partner.
Sonic Advance 3 is an awesome game that never gets old. It's fast, fun, and hard to put down, and I can't tell you enough, if you still play GBA games, to go get this game.