Portable versions of fighting games don't usually work too well, given the fact they are stripped-down, ugly counterparts of their original game. Tekken Advance is based on Tekken 3, and obviously a lot of corners have had to be cut to squeeze it down to fit on the Game Boy Advance. Despite this, you have to say they have done a pretty good job.
The roster is cut to 10 characters: Xiaoyu, Yoshimitsu, Nina, Law, Gunjack, Hwoarang, Paul, King, and Jin. Heihachi is the game's boss and is an unlockable character. The character models are pre-rendered which look good, but you don't get alternate costumes, so have to make do with the default.
In terms of controls, you have kick, punch and throw. In Tag mode, the remaining button is to switch characters. The move-sets have been reduced and simplified, but each character is well represented and is easily distinguished between the characters. Due to the lack of buttons, the commands are different from the console counterpart, so you have to hold a direction where you would normally use the second kick/punch button.
In terms of game modes, there are: Arcade mode, VS Battle, Time Attack, Survival, Tag Battle, VS Tag Battle and Practice. There is no story to the Arcade mode. Obviously, I didn't expect any FMV sequences, but some descriptive text may have added a bit of context and wouldn't have been too much to ask.
Tekken Advance is a solid fighting game and should please the series' fans. If you are looking for a fighting game on the move, then Tekken Advance is recommended, but this was never going to make people stop playing the console versions.