Any party game will be judged not on its appearance, but on it's fun factor. Bomberman manages to be a decent looking title with plenty of fun action, the perfect party game and a decent solo experience. The graphics are cheery, colorful and fast-moving. The most exciting moments come when switching worlds after beating a boss. There are seven different themes, or eight if you include the Classic mode unlocked after you finish the main game. Bomberman doesn't adjust his attire in each world, but new bad guys are introduced that somewhat match the flavor of each world. In a game like this, the most important visual clues are where to find key items and the on-screen orientation. On the small screen, Hudson manages to still keep things clear and intuitive. The sound and music is good, rousing anthemic stuff. Just what you'd expect, really.

Bomberman is a game that supports the "less is more" assertion. The only object of the game is to drop bombs and blast through a maze of blocks filled with bad guys. Bomb all bad guys and find the doorway out of the maze, and you're home free. It sounds so simple and it is, but the devil is in the details. When I started playing Bomberman, I was convinced that things would get old within a few levels. I mean, how much mileage can you get from blowing up blocks? After a few hours, I was still drilling through each level with the same enthusiasm and wanting more. Maybe it is the change in theme and gradual introduction of new enemies, or maybe it is the power-ups that add new and interesting powers to Bomberman. Some power-ups affect how the bombs explode and others affect Bomberman himself. Speeding up, becoming invincible, being able to see where new power-ups are hidden in each level... All these things help to make a level fresh. Enemies start doing more interesting things and some enemies take more than one bomb to destroy. The bosses are excellent and require more creativity than brute force.

Multiplayer and game sharing is excellent and necessary for a game like this. What may surprise you is that only one Bomberman UMD is required for up to four players to compete! Beam a game to a friend and set them up for multiplayer. Konami is smart to assume that gamers will come away wanting their own version of the game to share with their friends. If only everything was this simple. The multiplayer options are just different enough to make things fresh for the gamer accustomed to solo play.

The hardest part of Bomberman is slowing down. Once you learn how to use power-ups, you inevitably start turning up the power and throwing down bigger, more dangerous bombs. Which is all fine and well until you realize that getting out of the way of those bombs is more difficult than before. The other thing I did on too many occasions was run into my own bomb because I was dropping too many at the same time or running away from a bad guy. The game mechanics are suited toward last minute customization, but you'll still make plenty of mistakes. The ever more difficult selection of enemies makes this more likely. Boss battles are definitely challenging, with lots of running and trial-by-error action. There are unlimited continues that prevent the frustration from mounting.

Control isn't even an issue here, unless you refuse to use games without analog control. In Bomberman, the medium suits the message perfectly. D-Pad action along with a few button pushes is all you'll need to get into the action. Learning which power-ups to equip before you jump into the action and which ones to save for the fray takes some time. I never quite figured out the logic of this mechanism, other than to give players the ability to choose a bunch of power-ups before the pressure is on during a level. The strategic angle comes in when you realize that certain power-ups go well with other power-ups, as in the example I gave of more powerful bombs and increased speed. Picking up a special item means you can immediately use it in play, but you're not forced to use it by default. Each item is stockpiled for later. The shoulder buttons cycle through power-ups and you can activate an item using the square button. Some items require a secondary push after activation, like the remote-controlled bombs.

Playing Bomberman is like falling in love again for the fans who played the game in past incarnations. This version is a well-executed, fast-paced romp that especially rewards multiplayer addicts. Party games don't get much better than this, and you'll find reasons to keep playing once the party is over.