Good old fashioned side scrolling action. Sonic goes back to what made him great in the first place.
STORYLINE: Nothing dramatically different than most other Sonic stories. An evil scientist, Dr. Eggman, wants to rule the world. In past games, Dr. Eggman has been foiled by sonic before so he dicides to take the first steps this time and capture Tails and Knuckles. There is also a first appearence made the little bunny girl and her pet chao, Cream & Cheese, spend their time in the game searching for Creams mother. No matter who your playing though, the game pretty much stays in the same order. There are no unlocked level or new goals, but the games is still enjoyable enough to play it through as each character.
GAMEPLAY: You run at super speeds, make your way from level, and fight the funky bosses that Dr. Eggman builds. It's the classic Sonic set up, but that's a good thing as the classics were where Sonic was most successful and fun to play. The ways each character play can change the way you play the game slightly as each one has their strengths an weaknesses. Sonic of course holds the edge on speed, has the additional attack of a slide tackle and an jumping attck, but he has to time his jump pretty well. Knuckles is slightly slower in gaining speed, but he can glide a little, climb walls, and has a punching attack. Tails, of course, can fly for a limited, but unless the button is constantly pressed he also falls quickly. Cream & Cheese can also fly, but unlike tails she has less lift power and falls slower. Aside from single player, there is a time attack mode and a multiplayer mode for those who have a link and freinds that play the game.
GRAPHICS: Toony and bright, reminds me very much of the early Sonic side scrollers except with more polish. Everything, from the animation to the physics runs very smoothly.
SOUNDS: The toons are catchy and uplifting. Sound effects, such as the voice announcer and the attack sounds are really clear. However, everything does sound a bit scratchy, as if the recordings were recorded on cassette tapes before being recorded directly into the game. It's not much of a different quality than the classic tunes on the Game Gear.
COMPLAINTS: It was a fun little game that I could play again from time to time, but the problem for me was that it was too short. I believe that Sega could have stuff a lot more content, including levels and characters into this game to extend the experience. I mean, if you can fit an unbelieveably long game like Final Fantasy Tactics or Pokemon into one of those tiny cases, then you certiany should be able to make this game go on and on.
In conclusion, this is a game that is easy to pick and play on the go. Both fans of the classic sonic games and those who are just looking for one of the more entertaining side scrollers on the GBA. Now would probably make it a even better purchase for those not looking to spend to much since Sonic Advance 3 has come and gone as well, making the prices drop heavily on this title.