It seems like all the cartoons that were popular 10-15 years ago, when my now 19-year-old was in elementary school, have suddenly reappeared to new popularity. The Care Bears, Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, Power Rangers, and probably many others, have all come back with a vengeance. I still remember how concerned many parents were when their boys would emulate the kicking done by the Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles (especially if they were jumping on a trampoline at the time!). Ah well, I had two girls who were totally uninterested in kicking, although they did like the TV shows, so it didn’t really affect me any.

The Power Rangers Space Patrol Delta force is a special unit of Power Rangers, that protects the population on a futuristic Earth. Aliens from all over the galaxy have made Earth their home, where they hope to live in harmony. Unfortunately, there’s always a bad guy or two who just won’t let people live peacefully. The evil Emperor Gruumm and his evil minions are determined to take over the galaxy, and have set their eyes on Earth. The SPD is the only hope that Earth has.

As befits the Power Rangers, this game is all about kicking butt. Most of the time spent playing the game involves beating up hordes of bad guys to clear the levels. There are also bosses to beat, and special racing type levels. There are nine main levels, played as episodes. These main levels involve running the Power Ranger of the moment across several simple platforms, encountering many evil minions along the way. These guys are reminiscent of the suits in the Matrix movies, but aren’t nearly as tough, despite their appearance. The Power Rangers can beat them up really easily by just repeatedly mashing the attack button. If his health suffers, there are a few health power-ups that can be found by trashing boxes along the way. The bad guys have to be beaten to clear the area before the Power Ranger can move on, but it’s the player’s choice where they can stop and fight. For instance, the Power Ranger can just run through all the bad guys, and stand and fight at his leisure, as the enemies march toward him. Once the required number have met their maker, the Power Ranger can then move on to the next area in the level.

Each Power Ranger has a special power: The Red Ranger can pass through solid objects, the Blue Ranger can make a force field around himself, the Green Ranger can read auras and sense the energy of people through heat trails, the Yellow Ranger can replicate herself, the Pink Ranger can turn her hands into the things she touches, and the mysterious Shadow Ranger can do something mysterious - exactly what, we don’t know yet. The Rangers are chosen by their squad commander for missions, a different one for each level in an episode.

The fighting is straightforward and fairly simple in execution, but manages at the same time to be a satisfying experience, if fighting is what pleases the player. The action doesn’t get tough until the bosses at the end of some of the episodes, which are quite a different story. Even in the early episodes the bosses are difficult to beat. The difference between the action in the levels, and the bosses at the end of the levels, is quite dramatic. There are special Megazord levels where the Rangers fight with Megazords (similar to transformers), but these are actually pretty easy to beat. The bosses are way harder to defeat. Spaced out between levels are special racing-type levels, which again are easy enough to win, as the road is straight and there are no hair-pin turns to negotiate. The hazards are plentiful, but easy to avoid by jumping.

The Power Rangers are drawn well, and look and move great. The animation is smooth and streamlined while the Rangers are running around. The backgrounds are also drawn well, but are boring to look at, as they don’t change much from level to level. It’s mostly steel girders and brown boxes, although a few levels offer some green grass and trees.

The controls are probably the best part of the game, and is where the design team shined. There is no collision detection to worry about in the main levels, and the jumping is superbly handled. This is the way wall-jumping should be in every game.

On the whole, this is a decently designed game, with plenty of fighting action. While the gameplay isn’t very difficult or complicated, the game still manages to entertain and engage the player with the well-designed fighting action. However, it’s still mainly just a matter of running the Rangers across the floors and beating up baddies who all look alike. The levels all have a sameness to their look and feel. And, it’s not very hard to play. It won’t take experienced gamers long to run through the game.

Kids who are Power Ranger fans will enjoy this game, as it’s not frustrating and the save spots are all at good locations in the levels. The Rangers all look cool, and the music fits the show. A good choice for parents of Power Rangers enthusiasts.

Gameplay: 7.0
The action is fun enough, if you like fighting that isn’t too complicated. It’s mostly a matter of just mashing the attack button repeatedly, except in the boss levels, which requires a bit more thought. There are also racing levels and levels where the Rangers are hunting objects, which helps break up the action.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are well done, and evoke the TV show nicely.

Sound: 7.0
The sound is average, and matches the show's theme.

Difficulty: Medium
The game isn’t too difficult on the whole, but some of the bosses are hard to beat.

Concept: 7.0
It’s running and fighting, nothing new here. However, the presentation is good.

Overall: 7.0
Power Ranger games for the GBA have been a lackluster bunch, but this game is better in terms of design, which makes it a bit more fun than its predecessors. While not the most challenging or unique game out there, it is fun enough for kids who love the Power Rangers. The controls are great, and the game won’t needlessly frustrate, as so many kid’s games unfortunately do. A decent choice for most kids.