It says something about the staying power of these Japanese cartoon beasties that in the week after the release of this game, sales of Nintendo’s Gamecube console almost doubled. What’s more, there’s no doubt that it was the characters that were the attraction, for Pokémon Colosseum, though enjoyable and engrossing, is at heart just another role-playing game.

For what it’s worth, here’s the plot. An evil gang has been kidnapping Pokémon all over the region of Orre. As the hero of the game, you are charged with travelling around Orre, using your own Pokémon to defeat challengers that you meet en route. Each Pokémon has a special talent, and can withstand a certain amount of damage from other Pokémon. As you progress through the game they acquire extra stamina and resilience, enabling them to withstand more lengthy attacks.

It’s all standard stuff for an RPG, but its great plus point is that the learning curve is so gentle that you barely notice yourself becoming a role-player. More experienced gamers may scoff early on, but will find more rewards once they start to build up a mini-army of Pokémon, which they can trade online with other dedicated players. Add to this the ability to play against up to three other people on Game Boy Advance consoles, and you have a game that should prove to have a lasting appeal beyond the recent sales spike.

Nigel Kendall