What makes this game worthy of such praise?  Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure is a true game in the Crash Bandicoot series.  No sacrifices have been made.  Believe me when I say that Crash Bandicoot: THA is the game you've been waiting for.  It's not a remake or a port of a classic game -- it's a brand-new platformer with brand-new enemies, brand-new levels to explore and brand-new bosses to fight.

Crash Bandicoot: THA features the same great gameplay mechanics of the PSone versions, as well as some new additions.  The underwater levels are some of the most unique areas in the game.  A boss awaits at the end of each world.  Each boss has an energy meter that only takes three hits to deplete, however, they attack more fiercely every time you hit them.  Neo Cortex is by far the most original boss in the game.  Neo uses a large cannon that chases Crash all over the screen.  To avoid getting zapped, Crash must not ever be within the crosshairs of Neo's cannon, since it is impossible to dodge the attack once you've been targeted.  If you successfully evade his first round of attacks, three platforms will be activated and Neo will begin charging his weapon.  Now you can do whatever you want because Neo cannot fire his cannon while it's charging.  The object is to jump on one of the platforms and let Neo lock-on to you, then quickly jump off just before he fires.  If done correctly, he'll shoot one of his own emeralds, which just happen to be powering the cannon!  Without them, the cannon will no longer function.

Of course, there's a lot more to love about Crash than the boss battles.  Almost every stage is perfectly constructed with just the right amount of enemies to kill and plenty of items to collect.  Throughout each stage you'll find a ton of crates to bust.  You can't get a 100% complete game rating if you don't bust them all.  Some are easy to find, while others are hidden up above or down below areas that are disguised as pitfalls.  The crates hidden below are often found by chance, while the others cannot be reached until you acquire the double jump special move.

As I mentioned before, Crash Bandicoot: THA has superb level design.  They're so much fun to explore.  It brought back memories of Mario, Sonic, and...that's it.  There are a few other great platformers out there, but none of them are two-dimensional.  (Note: the Ghosts and Goblins games are considered action/adventures, not platformers.)  I never thought I'd say this, but I actually like Crash Bandicoot: THA better than Mario Advance and Mario Advance 2.  Those were great games in their day, and Mario World (Mario Advance 2) is still one of the greatest platformers of all time.  But I spent $50-$60 on all of the Mario games several years ago, so I have no reason to spend an additional $35 on them now.  And quite frankly, you don't either.  Especially when Vicarious Visions made a better alternative.

Graphically, Crash is one of the most impressive GBA games out there.  The amount of detail in the backgrounds and characters is superior to many of the classic SNES games!  Likewise, Mario Advance and even Klonoa: Empire of Dreams cannot compare with Crash's visual prowess.  It's the closest a portable game has ever gotten to matching the graphic quality of the Donkey Kong Country series.  Crash is a solid, fully-rendered sprite character with an abundance of animations.  I almost couldn't believe me eyes when I saw the game in action for the first time.  Each level throws more characters into the mix, giving you more ways to screw up and watch the little bandicoot die.  It's truly awesome.

When Crash touches an enemy or falls off of a ledge, he'll turn pale and fly away (as if it were his spirit going to Heaven).  If you die by explosion or electrocution, Crash's body will turn to ashes and any items he's using (such as an air tank) will collapse on top of him.  In the underwater levels, blowfish attack Crash by filling him with air, causing him to expand like a big balloon.  Other interesting death animations include: a dart that takes the air out of Crash, similar in style to a balloon; electric eels that give you a real "charge;" frogs that turn you into a green statute; and a crushing pillar that turns Crash into a pancake.

The music is also worth noting.  I'm not sure who's responsible for composing it Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, but whoever it is, he or she did an excellent job.  High-quality music is not overly common on the Game Boy Advance, but if it were, Crash Bandicoot: THA would still stand out as one of the best.  The unique tunes from the underwater levels are completely different from the rest.  Some of the songs were taken directly from the old Crash Bandicoot games, but most of them are brand-new, giving your ears a good amount of unique tracks to listen to.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure is the kind of game that makes me glad I own a Game Boy Advance.  It's short, but it's still longer than Mario Advance (and has more secrets to uncover).  You may beat the last boss in a week or even a few days, but it'll take you much longer to collect every item, bust every crate and unlock every secret.  Crash's replay value is exceptionally high, meaning that you'll still enjoy playing the game even after you've finished it.  If the Crash Bandicoot series keeps going in this direction, it could very well turn out to be the Super Mario Bros. of the 21st century.

Gameplay: 9.2
Crash Bandicoot plays better than ever on the GBA!  I mean it -- Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure is more fun than its PSone/PS2 counterparts.  For that reason, I'd have to say that Crash belongs in the second dimension.  Then again, the 32 and 64-bit versions featured two-dimensional levels, and none of them were as fun to play as Crash Bandicoot: THA.  Vicarious Visions deserves all the credit.  Naughty Dog deserves some too for inventing the series.  One can only wonder how great the Crash series would be if they developed a game together...

Graphics: 9.1 
This is a rarity.  We usually don't get to play games that push the graphical boundaries of a game system until the Christmas shopping season arrives.  But this year, we've seen one great-looking GBA game after another.  Very few games can compare to Crash's graphical beauty.

Sound: 8.5
Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure is music to my ears.  The sound effects are pretty good too, but the music is what really stands out in this game.

Difficulty: 8
Beating the game is easy.  Completing the game is not.  Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure will keep you entertained for weeks to come.

Concept: 9 
Although the odds were against it, the Crash Bandicoot series has been successfully converted to the second dimension.  I'd like to thank Vicarious Visions for bringing not one, but two great PSone franchises (Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater) to the GBA.

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 9.2
You're still here?  Man, some gamers never learn!  When I say "buy this game," I don't mean "sit around and do nothing."  So what are you waiting for?  Go to the store (don't forget your wallet) and buy Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure.  Now!