The Flash

The scarlet speedster, a.k.a. the Flash, may have been yanked off the tube, but if you're a comic book reader, you know that most super heroes never die, they just get reincarnated into some other form. The newest incarnation of The Flash is the latest Game Boy cart from T»HQ, and although this baby is built for speed-sometimes speed isn't what you need.

Flash-Dance

The Flash is a punch-and-kick action game with 13 levels of horizontally scrolling action. The Flash's arch-enemy, the Trickster, has escaped from jail, and he's planted time bombs all over the city (Gee... do you think this is a parole violation?). He's dragged along a couple of Flash thorn-in-the-sides, Captain Cold and the Mirror Master, to help him terrorize the city. Since you're dealing with time bombs, you only have so much time to reach the end of a level - but then, you're the Flash!

The time limits mean you shouldn't stop to admire the scenery, but that's OK because each level features similar-looking areas. You begin in an art gallery, then move to a garage, the street, and a moving train. After diffusing the Trickster's time bomb on the train, you go to another art gallery, then a garage, etc. You get three Flashes to completd the game, but each level has a password.

Flashy Features

This wouldn't be a true "Flash" cart without the element of super speed, so by holding down the A and B buttons, along with a direction button, the Flash goes into "surge" mode and moves at incredible speed.

The Rash-dude also has super combat ability. Holding down A and B during a fight makes the Rash go nut-zoid - punching and kicking at a frantic speed, until the bad guy is no more.

Fast Food

If you decide to slow down, you find food machines, dollar signs and little Flash emblems. Pick up dollar signs to spend at the food machines, which dispense items such as hot dogs that give Flash more surge power. The Flash emblems, which appear when you knock out a bad guy or disarm a bomb, build up your health meter.

Speed Trapped

The Flash sports solid graphics, and it plays a great rendition of the TV theme song, but it lags in the gameplay category. Expecting you to hold down A AND B plus hit a direction button every time you want to move faster is asking a bit much. You'll probably find jumping and moving more challenging than any of the villains in this cart.

Sometimes speed kills, but in The Flash for the Game Boy, it's the controls that ultimately do in the scarlet speedster.

ProTips:

• Time is of the essence. It's more important to get to the end of the level than to go head-to-head with every thug You must have enough time to fight the Trickster and disarm the time bomb on each level.
• The Mirror Master's holograms look just like villains, but they can't hurt you. They only exist to delay you.
• You can kick and punch through obstacles such as pedestals and pillars, but bad guys can't hit you back.