A great game and a true testament to how great "cute looking" RPGs can be!
Once I got this game, I really could not put it down (I faked being sick one day from school so that I could stay at home and get farther than my brother's were in the game). This game has everything to be an instant classic. The gameplay is awesome. Unlike some RPGs, this game is not really heavy on a story. You get a brief idea of what's going on at the start of the game (basically, you got to win a tournament and beat your rival), but that's really it. You travel from town to town, fighting people along the way who challenge you, and then fighting the gym leaders of each town to get their badge so that you become one step closer to fighting the Elite Four. But, the best part of this game is the whole "collecting every Pokemon" idea.
You have to fight and collect Pokemon to use in your battles. You get one Pokemon at the start of the game (and you choose which one), and you go around the world catching the rest. It's really fun and very addictive. I got the Blue version because my favorite color is blue, and my other two brothers got the Red version so that we could trade our Pokemon.
The graphics and sound are okay, but nothing great. The Pokemon look really nice when they are fighting and all, and the music is pretty soothing for this game. But, the real gem here is just catching all the Pokemon you can and fighting your friends in Pokemon battles. This is where the replay value sky rockets! You just want to keep playing this game to get as many Pokemon as you can and obtain the greatest possible team that no one could beat!
This game rocks, and you must get it if you're a fan of the old-school RPGs where you must build your characters to high and powerful levels, and have them fight to see who is better and stronger. A true classic that everyone should play in some form or another!