With the pending release of the movie, The Scorpion King, it was only a matter of time before there would be a game. Universal Studios commissioned WayForward Technologies to create a game that is entitled The Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris for the Game Boy Advance. The end result is a wonderfully made game perfect for any gamers growing collection.

Gamers will be put in the shoes of Mathayus (The Scorpion King), on an adventure to rescue his new bride, Cassandra, from the wicked Menthu. Menthu and the evil sorceress, Isis, have an unwavering scheme to use Cassandra's magical powers to awaken the Dunes of Natash, which is a malicious desert oasis. If they succeed, there will be a thousand year desert storm, which will make Egypt uninhabitable. To prevent these catastrophic events, Mathayus will go though several different environments armed with his mighty sword and a pair of scimitars to defeat bosses and obtain gems. With all the gems Mathayus will be able to claim the worlds most powerful sword, The Sword of Osiris, to put an end to Menthu's diabolical plans.

When developing this game, WayForward looked at classic games to draw their inspiration. The result is that Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris borrows elements from Super Mario, Castlevania, Sonic, and many others, to make one fantastic experience. Through out the game there will be the classic platform jumping, avoid getting impaled by a falling ceiling with sharp spikes, climbing ceilings to prevent falling into a crater, and collecting scorpion coins to obtain extra lives.

Mathayus has a wide arsenal of moves available to him through the use of his mighty sword and lethal twin scimitars. If the gamer holds down the attack button for a few extra seconds Mathayus will be able to throw the scimitars, perform a mighty thrusting move with the sword, or he will spin the weapons making any enemy that comes too close, chopped beef. The only problem with these moves is that they are very impractical to use in a normal fight, because it takes a few seconds for them to charge up, so they are mainly used during a boss fight only. When Mathayus defeats a boss he will receive a gem for his gauntlet, which allows him to carry more power elements that make his weapons burn with flames, and become even deadlier.

WayForward really pushed the Game Boy Advance hardware to create some nice effects. When Mathayus is going through a darkened hall there are barely lit torches to help guide the way, thanks to the power of GBA's transparency effects. Characters models are not highly detailed as they could have been; to compensate for that each level is masterfully done to help immerse the player in that level. In the first area, the players will come across quicksand, running water, and myriads of other minute effects that helps the overall feel of the game. Players will go through a desert, a lush forest, the skyline of Egypt, and many other places which helps keep the gameplay varied.

The only real let down in the entire game is that WayForward opted to put the antiquated password save instead of a battery back up. Even though there are only four colors/character portraits to memorize, if the gamer is in a rush they can easily forget the code, this also makes it real easy for players to figure out the passwords for later levels. This way of saving the game can also be very frustrating because it is possible to get ten saved lives, but each password will only give you two lives at the beginning of the level. This is not a good thing; especially since most, if not all, Game Boy Advance games currently have battery saves.

The Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris is rated E for Everyone.

Gameplay: 9.5
This is one area that The Scorpion King truly excels in. The controls are tight, and the gamer will not be at a miss on what is going on and what they need to accomplish.

Graphics: 8.9
The sprite and level of detail is really good, but WayForward could have pushed the GBA to do so much more. The levels are well done and help give the atmosphere that you are truly in ancient Egypt.

Sound: 8.2
The music helps set the tone in the entire game. Each composition is well done but they could have tweaked it further to help fully immerse the player in the game.

Difficulty: 8.5
The game is fairly easy to pick up and play. The game can be beaten in a short period of time, but if you found all the secrets you can play as a second character.

Concept: 8.5 
WayForward has borrowed ideas from numerous classic games, but the finished product is very well done.

Mulitplayer: N/A

Overall: 9.0
Even though this game this game can be beaten in a short time period, do not let this stop you from purchasing the game. It has well designed levels, tight controls, and a great theme to play. Anyone who possesses a Game Boy Advance owes it to themselves to purchase this game.