Price: £29.99 Players: 1 Spy Hunter was one of my favourite mid-80s arcade classics and after its debut on the PS2 last year in its new form, it makes a worthy transition to the Gameboy Advance. In my early teens the arcade game was a top-down driving game which saw you racing along in your car, shooting down enemy vehicles, knocking other cars and bikes into the side of the road, all in order to score points. As you progressed along the terrain you passed over water, at which point your vehicle would transform itself into a boat, while other means of transport on land included your motorbike. When you're running out of puff, the IES van will appear for you to drive into and get all items of ammo etc. recharged. Miss this and it'll soon be "game over". Level after level, wave after wave of bad guys and no let-up in the enjoyment stakes. Those who wish to remain in the 80s can find MAME (Multi Arcade Machine Emulator) and the ROM for the original game and stop reading here, but those who want to see what the new century has got planned should read on.

Feeling more James Bond-style than before, Midway's 21st century update turns the game into a third-person into-the-screen driving game, but still with the same essential action and relentless pace. So, the question is, how can the GBA version compete with the PS2 version? Well, yes, the graphics are a little on the rough side, but nothing more than you'd expect for a typical GBA game given the screen size and resolution, but as you twist and turn it does create a realistic representation on the handheld and still keeps things ticking along nicely.

Musically, the sound effects in games like Spy Hunter won't win any prizes for originality. The car engine revs, the gunfire rat-tat-tats, the missiles explode... you know the drill. However, it does include a very nice rendition of the "Peter Gunn" theme. The handling of the car is fine and if you miss a turning, you don't have to worry too much about reversing since you can simply turn the car around and head back for that turn-off. There's nothing more infuriating in some car games that simply don't let you turn 180o and insist that you can't travel in that direction. The first level you'll play is the training one, which tests your skills but isn't quite as strict as would have you believe (thankfully).

Overall, the important thing is that this game is fun. After the initial level, the second - and first mission proper - tells you that Nostra is testing a new helicopter code-named "Dragonfly". Destroy it and then rendezvous with your van in Frankfurt... As the levels go on, so will your movements around the world and it becomes a very easy game to pick up and play. Of course, if you already have a PS2 and don't have either version, then it's worth the extra fiver for that one over the GBA. Now Midway, please can we have more 21st century updates of 80s classics?

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2002.