Deep Pocket Gecko takes one of Eidos' more popular characters and shrinks him down to the Game Boy. Gex, noted for his tongue-in-cheek approach to life, loses nothing in his diminutive size. Deep Pocket Gecko is a vast world of side-scrolling mayhem, with Gex using his tail to swat enemies, his tongue to snap life-restoring flies out of the air, and his reptilian acrobatics to jump around. There are 11 monster levels ranging from the snowy arctic to Egyptian tombs. Despite the colorful backdrops, the goals are generally the same. Having been sucked into a large television station, Gex must perform a certain number of tasks (like smashing three water towers, killing an evil Santa, and so on) to earn a remote control that he can use to enter further worlds. Once all of the tasks in all of the worlds have been completed, Gex will have enough juice to enter the domain of the evil boss Rez and end his reign.
Deep Pocket Gecko features an astonishing 4500 frames of animation, which explain why every creature moves as smoothly as a lizard's tongue in slow motion. There are also new moves for our favorite Gecko: Gex can swim, bust a move on a snowboard, and even ride a kangaroo. Control is excellent, though his tail-bounce technique might take some getting used to.
While this title doesn't possess the charm of some of the other Game Boy platformers, it does stand proudly on its own. Fans of the genre or those who want to pick up a decent game that will keep them coming back for more won't be disappointed.
