American Bass Challenge

The water sparkles, the temperature is a balmy 63 degrees – in short, it is an absolutely beautiful day for fishing.

American Bass Challenge, a Game Boy Advance release from Ubi Soft, is a stalwart attempt to transform the cyber world of fishing contests from PCs and consoles to the hand-held.

This is a game that  requires patience, a good command of control elements, and minor knowledge of fishing tactics and lures. You will have to select your lure, tease and entice the fish to bite, and then battle the scaly critters all the way to the boat.

There are three ways to play this game: Quick Fish Mode, Tournament Mode and Practice Mode. It is wise to start in the latter phase, simply to get an idea of what this game is about. The game is fairly straightforward. You begin on a lake in a boat. You pilot the boat around the lake until you find the area where you think the fish are. Then cast, reel in the lure and hope.

You will see fish under the surface of the water (this game takes on the God perspective, meaning that you view the action from above), but getting them to take the bait is another story.

The game controls are kept easy. You move the boat by using the A button (forward) or B button (back) and D-pad to move about the lake. When you hit the spot you favor, hit the Select button, that pops up a menu which allows you choose between three options (cast, move and quit). To cast, you set your casting strength with the A button. That button also allows you reel in your line, while the D-pad allows you to dance the lure up and down.

Of course, this is a tournament challenge, and that means – when in that mode of play – trying to reel in the highest total weight in bass within the time limit.

This is a game that relies on patience. You really have take your time, consider the fishing zones and then hope that your cast will land the big one.

The graphics are very good. This game emulates a three-dimensional feel. Though the sound is quite typical of a GBA program, it still manages to advance the feel of battle between man and fish.

American Bass Challenge does a very nice job of relaying the feel of cyber-fishing of other formats to this device.

If you have the patience, and are willing to learn the technical-know how of fishing, this may be a game that you will enjoy.

Install: N/A

Gameplay: 8
This game successfully brings the challenge of other formats to the hand-held. The game is on a clock-ticker, and you have to work fast, moving frequently to succeed.

Graphics: 8
Though this game is viewed from above, it still does a very nice job of emulating the whole feel of fishing.

Sound: 7
Nothing is offered here that is new or innovative.

Difficulty: 7.5
The program has a nice user interface, and the controls are kept relatively user-friendly, making this game a challenge, but still one that players can succeed at.

Concept: 8
This is a successful transition of a well-known format into a new device.

Overall: 7.8
This is a nice little program, sure to please fans of cyber fishing. There is challenge, and knowledge involved in the program. This is more than a reflexive challenge – it requires that you understand the essence of the program, and then apply that knowledge in order to succeed.