Welcome to the exciting new adventures of Pokemon Gold and Silver! These two games sport a colourful look and supply a slew of new Pok?mon. Starting out as a rookie Trainer, you'll embark on a quest to capture as many Pokemon as you possibly can. Some familiar faces pop up in the tall grass and dozens of new Pokemon make their debuts. Try your hand at new attacks and witness surprising evolutions, while filling your Pokedex with the latest discoveries. Along with the advances in Pokemon studies come technological innovations. Scientists have been hard at work concocting new inventions and improving old ones to help you collect and maintain your Pokemon. Your goal is to become the worlds greatest Pokemon Trainer. Are you up for the challenge?

Featuring a brand new adventure filled with numerous enhancements and innovations, this long-awaited sequel to Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow greatly improves upon the series' winning formula, making for an even more insanely addictive and wholly absorbing gaming experience.

Like Pokémon Silver, which is essentially the same story with minor gameplay variations, Pokémon Gold casts players in the familiar role of a young Pokémon Trainer who is out to collect as many different kinds of Pokémon as possible. As in previous games, gameplay consists mostly of exploration (completing various quests in the process) and Pokémon battles, which employ a unique battle-system that's like a complex twist on rock-paper-scissors.

But despite the similarities, it's quite apparent that Pokémon Gold is a whole new ball game from the start. The game is played out in real time, with the current time and day-of-the-week (recorded by an internal clock) having a direct impact on gameplay elements, such as what Pokémon you will find in the wild, and when certain events occur and characters appear.

While there are simply too many new and improved features in Pokémon Gold to list here, among the highlights are 100 new Pokémon (including two new types), new evolution processes (including breeding) and a more streamlined game interface with better-organized menus and button shortcuts.

Although it's easier to progress in Pokémon Gold than the previous games, the sheer amount of fun and game time involved is daunting. You would be really hard-pressed to find a better value game than this. --Joe Hon