You know, I thought I was finally safe from my hidden manias. I've beaten all the RPGs of import I've played recently, I handled a space shooter pretty well, and I even cleared through my retro gaming experience fairly well. What could possibly tempt me into becoming a gamer retreating back into my shell? Well, I should have know some time ago - only absurdly cute creatures could do it. This is the cue for Pokemon Silver and Gold, or simply Pokemon 2 for the lazy. The first game was a breath of fresh air for me, but how would the new one compare?

First, an intro if you've been living under a rock the past couple of years. Pokemon, short for pocket monsters, are creatures that live in a fantasy world. They are caught and tamed by people known as trainers. The Pokemon all have individual and unique abilities, and they are also used to fight against each other, to see who is the best trainer. You, of course, are a trainer out to become the greatest trainer of all.

Now, the story is fairly simple and straightforward, but plays off the first game well. You play a different hero this time from the one in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow (who is famously known as Ash). As far as anyone knows, the infamous gang called Team Rocket has gone under, and you're about to start off on a quest to become the best trainer. Of course, a rival quickly appears with a stolen Pokemon, and Team Rocket is too good a ground of villains to disappear forever.

The story, while simple, unfolds rather well. I was fairly certain that the game would just degenerate into a bare backdrop to catch Pokemon in, but the game actually fleshes out characters. While your main character seems one dimensional, your rival is fairly well done, and several minor characters appear that are more developed tha you'd expect. I was quite pleased.

Of course, the main attraction is the game play. This is familiar to fans of the first game, but seriously improved. You have one on one fights with other Pokemon, but you can still choose to switch out at will. You still can only have four moves, so you have to choose what to lear carefully. But this time, they have created a more balanced playing field for the Pokemon. Attack types that were rare, like ground attacks and rock attacks, are much more common, with some new, highly useful moves for each. No longer will certain Pokemon be hampered by a lack of decent attacks to choose from.

In addition, two new types, dark and steel types, have been added to break the main problem of the first game: that psychic Pokemon were too strong. They have also increased the usefulness of fire attacks, making the field much more balanced than it used to be. Now, while there are some Pokemon you can generally expect everyone to have, they aren't overpowering.

One addition to make battles more interesting is the addition of item equipping for each Pokemon. Each creature can hold one item, and it can be a curative that automatically takes effect at a certain point, or an item that strengthens attacks. Now you have one extra area where you can customize your Pokemon. For example, I've given an item that regularly gives first attack to a very slow Pokemon, and I've found that Pokemon's usefulness has skyrocketed. Many such options are available to the player who wants to strategize further.

In another strategy related move, the game keeps track of time and dayof the week. Now, you also have the option of participating in events that only happen on certain days. This can be great, as you can do your ordinary business for a couple of days and then participate in something refreshing, like a bug catching contest, on others. Also, the time of day determines which Pokemon come out, which means you have to strategize about when you want to go to certain areas to fill out your collection. It's a small, but nice, touch.

However, there is a flip side to having all these new options to make you more powerful - the game is much more difficult in response. In the original Pokemon, I had no problem just walking through the game without any serious problems. This game has consistently given me real challenge. Even walking into battles where I know I have the type advantage doesn't guarantee my victory. Particularly for the fights against the head trainers of each city, the game makes you work for every victory. However, with the right strategy, you can come out on top. The challenge of the game is refreshing and much better than I had expected. Of course, players more prone to frustration may not like that.

Also to alter the challenge, several moves have been changed to give less of an advantage. Several old moves are weakened, and several more have less uses than they did in the original game. While the new moves do make this less of an issue, this does mean that several old tactics don't work well. Combine that with new moves that specifically negate old tactics, and you have a whole new way of playing old Pokemon players have to adjust to.

The game play also still features game link cable support, which fans of the first game recall. In order to get all the Pokemon, you have to trade between the two versions of the game. You can also battle against someone else playing the game, so the game is really a social phenomenon. One nice thing the game has, though, is a "Time Capsule," which allows you to get Pokemon from the first game as well. In some cases, this is much easier than actually trying to find someone with the old Pokemon you need. It's also the only way to get some of the more powerful Pokemon from the first game, so it's a good addition.

However, there is another way to get new Pokemon, besides catching them or trading for them. Now, in one city, is a place where you can breed Pokemon. Almost all Pokemon have genders now, and by leaving one male and one female with the breeders, you can start your own Pokemon breeding operation. Bred Pokemon are typically stronger than their parents too, so while you don't have to breed them, it is a nice option for those who want to pursue it.

Also, the game features another way for people to interact if they both have Game Boy Colors. Later in the game, you can open the option to use "Mystery Gift." This option allows you and a friend to get a free item by using the infrared port on you Game Boy Color. While some of the items are relatively worthless, like the dolls, some are rather valuable, like an item that always successfully captures a Pokemon of your choice. Again, it's totally optional to use, but it's a way to get free items in the game, and that's pretty good.

Also, to alleviate the money crunch that drove people nuts about in the first game, you can have rematches against many trainers in this game. That way, you can beat them for even more money. This has helped me several times afford the items I needed to catch more Pokemon. Now, money is less of a worry in the game, which is rather relieving to see.

One element the game still has is what I once called the 'scavenger hunt' effect. People don't have to collect all of the Pokemon, which are now up to 250 from the original's 150. But it's fun to do so, and everyone I know with the game is scrambling to find every single one. This time, it's guaranteed to take longer to find them all, but it's a bit fun to. It also gives incentive to trade and interact with other people, which I find to always be a good thing.

The game also features colorful graphics that are fairly well done. Finally in full color, the Pokemon look more interesting than they ever had before. I was amazed at how good some of the classic Pokemon I knew looked. Moreover, I had no problem differentiating between anything in the game due to its bright, but not garish, colors. Also, one touch I thought was nice: the graphics for the Pokemon are slightly different in each game. Comparing my copy of Silver to a friend's Gold, we noticed that they put Pokemon in different poses in each one. I know it's fairly simple, especially for characters that don't move, but I personally found the little touch nice.

The sound is fairly decent for a Game Boy. Granted, it is still limited and will drive you nuts eventually, but it is tolerable for about an hour or so. As always, there is the volume control on the side of the game. Use it well.

Finally, for those who have it, the Game Boy printer can be used to print out stickers of your favorite Pokemon. While this is totaly optional, it does give one more thing for people to do with the game. Options, I believe, are always good.

Don't get me wrong, the game still has some flaws. The most glaring is that again, there are Pokemon that are not in the game but still possible to get direct from Nintendo. Now, though, there is two: the famous Mew from the first game is still absent, and a new Pokemon, #251 Serebi, is also not present. While going to a Nintendo Pokemon tournament will get you both eventually, I want my Serebi now. Nintendo is actually building on the frustrations of gamers like myself who are impatient, which is a bit unfair in my opinion.

Also, fans of the old game may be frustrated with the changes they've made with the old moves and old Pokemon. You do have to relearn what you knew about the game. However, many old strategies still work, and it is nice to have a new challenge on your hands. But some moments of frustration will happen.

All in all, though, I think Pokemon Silver is a worthy successor in my Game Boy to Pokemon Blue. Just with the returning game play, this game was a worthy buy. But with the dozens of new options and beefing up of old classics, Nintendo has built another game that is worth playing. It makes me happy to see that, after all the throwaway Pokemon titles Nintendo has churned out recently, that they can still produce a winner.