In 1999, the original Pokémon Red and Blue games hit the Game Boy, and Nintendo's pocket monster franchise has been hugely successful ever since. It has been so successful, in fact, that the original games got a remake in the new Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Fans of the original games will feel a sense of déjà vu going through these latest games, though they'll enjoy seeing all their old Pokémon favorites in full color on the Game Boy Advance. However, both new and long-time Pokémon players will find in FireRed and LeafGreen a lengthy and involving role-playing adventure. The gameplay hasn't changed much at all over the years, but it's still just as addictive. And the inclusion of a wireless adapter with every copy of FireRed and LeafGreen makes Pokémon's popular multiplayer element more accessible than ever.

As in the original Pokémon Red and Blue, in FireRed and LeafGreen, you play as a character with aspirations to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in the land. Unlike in the original Pokémon games, though, you can now play as either a boy or a girl. Either way, you'll be trying to discover every last breed of those mysterious creatures in the process. Along the way, you'll square off against the nefarious Team Rocket, not to mention dozens of rival Pokémon trainers. Just getting to the end of the story takes about 25 hours, and you'll have uncovered only a fraction of the Pokémon in the game by that time--so there's tons of lasting value here, especially since you can keep playing once the main quest is over. In fact, hardcore Pokémon fans would argue that you're only just getting started at this point. Once you've finished the quest, many more new Pokémon become available for catching, and it's possible to go back and challenge any of the trainers you've previously encountered for some tough high-level challenges.

As with previous simultaneously released Pokémon games, FireRed and LeafGreen are essentially identical products whose only differences are precisely which Pokémon creatures they contain. Neither version contains all of the Pokémon, so you'll need to trade with another player in order to catch 'em all.

You can have up to six different Pokémon with you at a time, and each one involved in a battle gains experience points. As Pokémon level up, they gain new abilities, generally get stronger, and sometimes evolve into stronger, more mature versions of themselves. Leveling your characters is a time-honored tradition of role-playing games, and in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, there are hundreds of different characters for you to potentially concentrate on building up. You'll need to make some tough choices along the way, since it is tempting to try different combinations of Pokémon, and it's also tempting to try different combinations of abilities for each one