I was checking out games at Toys R Us the other day and ran into one called “Sukoku Fever” for the Game Boy Advance. I hadn’t seen any reviews, but it looked decent, and was $20, so I picked it up.

Why did I get another Sukoku game when I already have one for the DS (as part of Brain Age)? Well, because the GBA version will fit into my Game Boy Micro–the super tiny GBA. It’s a lot easier to carry around the tiny Micro than the bulky DS (though the new, smaller, DS does look a lot nicer than the original).

Here are some things I like about Sukoku Fever: You can choose grid sizes. You can do 9, 8, 6, and 4 sized grids. This is something I missed in the Brain Age version, since sometimes you just want to play a quick game. Another nice feature is that you can change from numbers to letters and even shapes. It’s a little thing, but it adds a twist to the gameplay. The interface is also clean. Not too hard to use, and has some helpful hints that you can turn on/off. For instance, you can turn on “pencil marks”, where the system tells you the possible numbers for a grid square. Finally, all the puzzles are randomly generated, so you have an “unlimited” number of games.

What don’t I like? Well, I think it was written by the same people who’ve done other cheapie puzzle games for the GBA (like the card games, etc). This means that (a) the music sucks (but can be turned off) and (b) the settings don’t get saved. In other words, every time you turn on the GBA you gotta go in and shut off the shitty music.  I also think they could have done the game save better, but it’s workable. (BTW: The 9 sized grids are small, but still readable on the Micro. The other sizes are perfectly readable.) 

All in all, it’s worth the $20, even more so if you have a Game Boy Micro. It’s the perfect matchup between a simple (yet fun) puzzle game with the super-tiny Micro. This is a great “train” game. I could see myself playing it on the El, like I used to with Tetris.