While the Pokémon franchise could have easily been a fad, lasting a game or two before consumer indifference forced it out to pasture, the marketing staff at Nintendo has nurtured it into a cash cow, milking the series for all its worth and then going back for seconds. Five years after its U.S. debut, a period which has seen hundreds of television episodes, three feature films, and countless stuffed animals, trading cards, linens, action figures, toiletries, and more, the entity known as Pokémon is still strong. So it comes as somewhat of a disappointment that its first appearance on the powerful Game Boy Advance offers few real surprises other than the expected change in venue and influx of new, hopelessly cute "monsters."

Perhaps the developers were afraid to push the envelope, lest players do the unthinkable and put the title down for fear of change, but Pokémon faces some stiff competition -- rival companies have been quick studies of the "gotta catch 'em all" aspect of collecting monsters and now offer similar titles with new or more refined elements. Dragon Warrior Monsters, for instance, features the same collecting and stat-raising aspects as Pokémon, but offers a more robust breeding element. Pokémon for Game Boy Advance adds enough new features to keep players occupied, but they are not enough to push the title in the upper echelon of role-playing games.

The gameplay has changed little throughout the years, which places Pokémon squarely in the group of introductory role-playing titles like Dragon Warrior on the NES. The characters are tiny and move with only a few frames of animation. Environments are simple yet colorful and feature themed regions filled with trees, sand, caves, and/or water. Towns consist of roughly a half-dozen buildings that players can walk into and speak with the residents, who will challenge players to a duel, sell them items, or offer helpful tips. There's not much interaction within these towns, other than going up to a person and pressing a button to communicate.

The main quest is straightforward and quite linear, with each new town offering a simple task (such as delivering a message to a specific individual, who always seems to be hanging around the deepest part of a dungeon). Solving the mini-quest opens up a previously blocked route leading to another town. As in past titles, each town also has a gym where players can challenge the powerful, but not so cleverly named "gym leader," to win his or her badge. To accomplish this, players need to raise a balanced group of Pokémon by participating in duels to build their experience, abilities, and hit points. Players can also equip their Pokémon with special items found along the journey, feed them berries or potions to replenish health, or give them medicine to counter effects such as sleeping, poison, or paralysis while in battle.

The battle sequences are nothing new to veterans of early turn-based role-playing games, with spartan presentation consisting of the enemy appearing in the background and the player's Pokémon in the foreground. (Each battle is also introduced with a picture of both trainers while they toss out their Pokéballs.) Some added animation during battles and a few snazzy transition sequences represent a new high in the series, but this hardly compares to the appealing visuals in a game like Golden Sun. Battles can be easy or very difficult depending on which type of Pokémon are battling each other, as each creature is vulnerable or more resistant to its polar opposite (water-based versus fire-based, and so forth). Unique to this installment is the chance for two Pokémon to fight against a pair of rivals, but this is not only common in most party-oriented role-playing games, it's expected.

Audiences new to the Pokémon universe may not understand the difference between the two versions of the game, which Nintendo has been doing ever since the series' 1998 release. This Sapphire Version features a higher frequency of certain monster types as well as a few minor plot changes. Players who remember Team Rocket from previous games will battle a new rival group depending on which game they have in their possession. Sapphire Version has players encountering Team Aqua, who wants nothing more than a watery world without land. To that end, they are pursuing the Pokémon named Kyogre (the creature featured on the box cover) so they can harness its abilities. Ruby Version, on the other hand, has a team that hates water. Other than this slight difference in rival teams, the games are identical.

Pokémon: Ruby Version's presentation won't win any awards, but there are enough activities packed into the cartridge to keep players occupied for a long time -- easily 45 hours or more. The gameplay is simple, but there are so many little things to do, from going on quests to find missing Pokémon to entering special contests, purchasing decorations to store in a secret base, or learning new techniques to uncover even more secrets. The connectivity aspect is still Pokémon's biggest attraction, where players can trade creatures or battle friends, and the huge assortment of abilities, techniques, and special items guarantee no two battles will play out in precisely the same manner. Older players may grimace at fighting creatures that resemble sparrows, ducks, goldfish, and salamanders, but Pokémon's laidback atmosphere and lighthearted approach to the genre is oddly compelling even despite the comparatively few changes made for its GBA debut. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Some minor touches like reflections in the water or footsteps in the sand are not enough to distract players from the lackluster visuals. Fine on Game Boy Color, but nothing special on Game Boy Advance. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Players can listen to a captured monster's cry, but the sound effects are merely average for the system. Music is suitably upbeat but becomes repetitive sooner than later. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Packed with things to do and discover, the game will keep players occupied for quite some time. Those who have played previous versions of the series will wonder why more wasn't done with the game. Why aren't all Pokémon featured in the game, for instance? ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The multiplayer aspect will keep players glued to the screen if only to test how well their team matches up against a rival. Players can also spend hours upon hours just searching for rare creatures. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide