Earthworm Jim (GBA)

This is a good thing: Earthworm Jim has been lovingly ported and primed, and is now ready for action on the Game Boy Advance. The game is a fairly straightforward port of the old Super Nintendo version, but with the exclusive Sega Genesis Intestine level added for good measure. It provides weird, wicked and hilarious 2-D action that's perfect for handheld gaming.

The story concerns the titular annelid, Jim, and his discovery of a super-special spacesuit that lets him walk, jump, run, climb and fight like a man. He's also got a machine pistol, and is able to grab his own wormy body and whip himself around to reach high places. It's decidedly wacky stuff. His enemies consist of psycho-hamsters, crows (naturally), cats and creatures made of garbage. His ultimate enemy is the evil Psy-Cow; he wants the suit from Jim and will stop at nothing to get it for his evil queen.

Earthworm Jim remains one of the weirdest 2-D side-scrolling games you'll ever play because of the sheer amount of innovation packed into each level. Jim will bounce on tire stacks, use zip lines, propel himself using machine-gun fire and utter an emphatic "Dang" whenever struck by the enemy. Power-ups include special weapons and health, as well as free lives, which you'll need because Earthworm Jim is also one of the hardest games you'll find on the handheld.

In terms of innovation, creativity, graphics and sound, Earthworm Jim is head, stomach and tail above most titles, but it does suffer more than most from the Game Boy Advance's well-documented lighting and screen problems. Because the enemies in EJ tend to be small and fast, they can be hard to see without some lighting help. Regardless, this one remains a classic despite the intervening years. --Andrew S Bub