Looney Tunes: Back in Action pits you as both Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as you traverse a casino, Area “52,” the Louvre, and a jungle in search of the mythical Blue Monkey Diamond.  Along the way you’ll run across several familiar faces, both friend and foe, from the Looney Tunes universe.

You play the game from an isometric 3-D view; dodging generic “Acme” enemies or attacking them with good old “Acme” approved weapons such as the falling anvil and piano.  As you traverse the themed levels you’ll be required to collect “munkeys” which you need to capture in order to open up the next area of any given level, as well as “Munnies,” which open up the “Bomb Disposal” mini-game.  The “Bomb Disposal” game gives you a set amount of time to push 10 falling bombs from a maze-like platform before they explode.  Succeed and you are awarded an extra life, fail and well, you just keep doing it to your heart’s desire or until you succeed.

You, as the player, have the ability to switch between Bugs and Daffy at will.  Both play virtually identical to each other except for a couple of key ways that come in handy when solving the games puzzles.  Scattered throughout the levels are rabbit holes, which serve as warp points to places you might not otherwise be able to reach.  Of course the catch is that only Bugs can use these holes.  Daffy’s special ability, being that he’s a duck, is that he can swim to areas otherwise unreachable; whereas Bugs finds a watery grave if he ventures into the drink.  The use of the two characters is very straightforward and gamers of the youngest age should have no trouble knowing which character to use in any given scenario.  Also included in the gameplay department is Pole Position-esque driving levels that as a rule, prove more challenging than the rest of the game.  It’s not really so much that it was designed to be difficult, it’s that it proves difficult with the speed the environments race past you, making it hard to judge whether you’re about to hit an obstacle or the absolutely, positively required power-ups.  The power-ups are vital because you cannot and will not win these levels on speed alone.  On the whole, the gameplay is very straightforward.

Where this game really shines is in the graphics department.  I was absolutely floored when I first fired this game up.  Games on the GBA are just not supposed to look this rich and detailed.  From the characters, both playable and non-playable, to the environments, everything is incredibly well done.  But, the gorgeous visuals come at a terrible price and that is game and life-affecting slow-down.  You’ll find yourself motoring through a level and suddenly you’re trapped in quick sand with the slow-mo button pushed for good measure.  This happens when there are two or more enemies on screen at once, or when there is a lot of animation in the background.  And make no mistake, no matter how careful and diligent a gamer you are; it will cost you lives and health when you can least afford to lose it.  There are some ways you can deaden the pain this will cause and that’s by turning tail and running in the opposite direction until the exact moment the enemies disappear from the screen, when you’ll need to begin pelting them with eggs as soon as the first enemy shows.  You’ll have to do this a few times depending on the number of enemies coming after you, but it does prove pretty effective.  Another price the visuals exact on the game is in the sound department.  The music and the nearly non-existent sound effects are bare-boned at best.  You’re either treated to a “tinny” rendition of the Looney Tunes theme music or generic “gameplay” music for each level.  After a while it all just runs together and it begins to be difficult to discern each song from the last.

On the whole, if you’re a fan of the Looney Tunes, you’ll most likely find some short-lived enjoyment with this game, as it clocks in on the very short end.  The graphics are stunning; the environments are interesting if not clichéd, and the gameplay is solid when not forced to a crawl.  Overall it’s a pretty good effort at providing a rewarding Looney Tunes games.

Gameplay: 6
Solid for the most part.  The driving levels are hit or miss, but they are kept to a minimum.  The slow-down will affect your gameplay when it rears its ugly head, but otherwise, everything works as it should.  Swapping Bugs and Duffy is also handled well and adds an extra element to the puzzles.

Graphics: 9 
Some of the best I’ve seen on this platform.  Beautiful and sharp, but as I said earlier, the great graphics come at the price of gameplay and sound.

Sound:  4
Bare.  There’s not a whole lot to be had here.  The developer would have been better off just cutting everything else and looping a higher quality version of the Looney Tunes theme.

Difficulty: Medium
It’ll prove to be somewhat challenging for the novice or child gamer, but experienced gamers should have no trouble breezing through the game.

Concept: 7
A decent game based on a universally loved license.  There’s a nice mix of gameplay to be had in this cart, and the design of the game shows that the developer tried to do justice to the license and the fans.

Overall: 6
Had it not been for the frequent slowdown and the “iffy” driving sequences this game could have scored an 8 easily, making it one of the better entries on the GBA.  As it is, these issues pull the overall score down from what it could’ve/should’ve been, but it’s still a an enjoyable, solid experience, especially if you like the Looney Tunes.