Sound:  
Not much to say here. The music is your standard handheld fare, which is tinny and repetitive. The sound effects aren't much better. For example, the engine noise on certain cars becomes a whining screech when the machine hits full speed. For an extended race this can become very annoying, very quickly. With headphones this effect is doubled.

Control:  
The controls are simplistic, but they get the job done. The control pad is used to steer the player's vehicle. Pressing the A button makes the car accelerate, and pressing B makes it brake. If the car has a manual transmission the R button will shift up a gear, and the L button will shift one down.

Gameplay:
If anything, GT Advance can't be faulted for lack of options. The game features over 45 licensed cars that can be upgraded with a myriad of options. Everything from engines, mufflers, computer chips, seats, and filters can be upgraded during the course of the game. Even a car's basic abilities such as grip, weight, suspension, and aerodynamics can be improved upon.

GT Advance also features a total of 32 different tracks to race upon. Some of these include day tracks, night tracks, and even dirt roads. The sheer number of tracks such as this gives GT Advance a major plus over some other racing franchises that simply don't have as many to choose from.

In addition, there are six distinct game modes to choose from. These modes include championship, car collection, quick race, time attack, practice, and vs.

Sadly, not all is perfect in the gameplay department though. In what can be considered the most asinine move ever made by THQ, a password system was implemented to save the game's progress. What time period do they think this is, the 1980's? Password systems disappeared in games due to the frustration they create for players. For this reason the Japanese version of GT Advance has a battery to save all data. The version we Americans received however does not. We are stuck with a complex string of sixteen different letters and numbers that need to be inputted every single time we want to continue. The only reason for this has to be the extra cost a battery adds to the cartridge, and apparently THQ simply didn't want to pay for it. What a way to treat their customers.

Multiplayer:
With a link cable, two Game Boy's, and two copies of GT Advance a multiplayer option is possible. In the vs. mode two players can race against each other using any available cars and tracks. Players cannot race together in any other mode such as championship. Races are limited to one track at a time and nothing more.

OVERALL:
GT Advance is the most realistic racing experience available for the Game Boy Advance. With numerous modes, cars, and tracks to choose from you certainly will be playing this for a long time to come... That is of course if you can deal with the atrocious password system.

 

The Lowdown on  GT Advance Championship Racing Aesthetics: Above Average Control: Above Average Gameplay: Average Multiplayer: Very Good Sound: Average Innovation: 3/6 Lasting Appeal: 4/6 Overall: Above Average! "A Quality Game"