Super Bust-A-Move is one of the most unique puzzle games available. Whereas most puzzle games use the falling blocks style invented by Tetris, Super Bust-A-Move reverses the situation by shooting the blocks (or rather, bubbles) at the puzzle formations at the top of the screen. Like Tetris, it sounds simple in theory, but is a frustrating pleasure in execution. There are several different colored bubbles -- red, green, blue, purple, orange, etc. -- three of which must be connected to make them disappear. The object of the game is to eliminate all of the bubbles in the level before they fall below the deadline near the bottom of the screen.

Bubbles can also be eliminated by making them fall, which can only be done by eliminating all of the bubbles that are holding them. For example, if a yellow bubble is hanging on the side of two red bubbles and is not attached to anything else, shoot the red bubbles with another red bubble. The red bubbles will disappear, leaving the yellow one with no place to go. This allows you to create many combinations and pretty formations by making several bubbles fall at once. Additionally, there are a few special bubbles that will aid you in your quest to become the ultimate bubble-busting master (also known as Bubble Fett in the upcoming Star Wars film, Episode II: Attack of the Clones). Bubbles with a plus sign on them will eliminate every bubble of the same color in the stage. So if you shoot a plus sign with a blue bubble, it will make all of the blue bubbles disappear. Pretty cool, huh?

The action gets intense as the balls slowly fall. The closer they get to the deadline, the closer your heart beats. Will you be able to burst every bubble, or will your bubble be the one that gets burst? It's the not knowing factor that makes Super Bust-A-Move so good. You rush to succeed, shooting every bubble as fast as you can. But no matter what, there are at least a few times in the game in which you are guaranteed to lose. That's what keeps you coming back for more though. I actually left my Game Boy Advance on for more than two days because I couldn't beat this one stage and didn't want to have to start all over again! Thank goodness for AC adapters, because no brand of AAs would have been strong enough to last me through this game. I haven't used my AC adapter this much since Castlevania was first released. If that isn't a compliment, then I don't know what is.

Super Bust-A-Move isn't the deepest game, it isn't as innovative as Tetris Attack and it doesn't have as many modes as Tetris Worlds, but it is still an excellent game. Had I not gotten to review Super Bust-A-Move, my sister would have ran out and bought it. She loves this game, as do I, and the fact that she was willing to spend money on it proves how good it really is. Would I have purchased it? At $40, no. At $25 on sale at Target or Best Buy (assuming the game was on sale), then yes, I would have definitely purchased it. There are too many great games out there right now for me to spend forty bucks on an updated version of the same puzzler I've been playing for the past three or four years. I just don't understand why almost every Game Boy Advance game available has an MSRP of forty dollars. Half them are ports of ancient SNES games, yet they're charging full price. Of course, if you're rich, have kind relatives or can get this game on sale, you should definitely buy it.

Gameplay: 8.4
Who would have ever thought that bursting bubbles could be so much fun? They're more like balls than bubbles, but I don't care. Brightness issues aside, I love playing Super Bust-A-Move.

Graphics: 6.5 
The bubbles are colorful and the animation is smooth, but the overall brightness of the game is way too dark. I should be able to tell the difference between a black and gray bubble without having to hold the GBA up to an extremely bright lamp, but I can't.

Sound: 6
Super Bust-A-Move's music isn't bad, but the sound effects are pretty average.

Difficulty: 7.5
Believe it or not, Super Bust-A-Move is somewhat more difficult than Tetris Worlds. The pre-set puzzles call for a lot more thought than the standard Tetris game.

Concept: 7 
The new levels are excellent, but the game itself is not original at all. The idea behind Bust-A-Move is original, and the original game's developers deserve credit for that, but Super Bust-A-Move is just a rehash. Albeit, a good game, but still a rehash.

Multiplayer: 7
Super Bust-A-Move is a better single-player game than anything else.

Overall: 8
Super Bust-A-Move is the perfect game for the puzzle fanatic in your family. I wouldn't spend $40 on it, but hey, I'm cheap. There are better Game Boy Advance games available, but this is still an excellent game. Plus, it's the most wonderful time of the year -- Christmas. Why not splurge and ALL of the good GBA games?