Along the way you'll find:

• 8 Different Arenas ranging from a junkyard to Hollywood
• Quick-play arcade mode
• Championship Mode with upgrades for your Monster Trucks
• Secret exclusive Monster Jam trucks
• Special power-ups to cause maximum mayhem

In Monster Jam, you control your own destiny. Get behind the wheel of your favorite monster truck and battle your way to the ultimate Monster Jam Championship! It pits you in a no-holds, anything goes demolition between three other Monster Trucks in a enclosed arena. The premise of the game is relatively similar to Destruction Derby requires you to capture as many coins and flags, inflicting maximum damage on your opponents and above all - remain as being the last standing truck in each of the battles by picking up weapons and trying to blow your opponents into smithereens. There's a status bar which indicates the level of damage has incurred before reaching critical and blowing up. In addition, there are seven parts of your vehicle, each which can incur damage caused by competing trucks ramming into you or by use of their weapons. Taking too much damage in one area such as the front can cause you to lose the battle if you do not protect it from further damage.

The action is depicted in a top-down 2D perspective. Since these are Monster Trucks, they can crush or knock any item or obstacle that stands in its way. Crushing cars or knocking down lampposts builds up your power meter. When the metere is filled to its capacity, your vehicle will become empowered in what is called the Mayhem Mode, making your vehicle invincible for a short period of time.

Each arena consists of ramps and various obstacles, each which allow you to earn points by performing airborne stunts or crushing cars. <>Monster Jam game runs smoothly without any slowdown or choppy play. However, from a technical standpoint - Monster Jam pales in comparison to other GBA titles on the market; basic in presentation and detail...giving one the impression that it was actually a Game Boy Color title.

Successfully clearing each level awards you with points which can used towards upgrading your truck. The extent of upgrades depends on how often you win. Customization to your vehicle includes a variety of parts ranging from the engine, tires, the body frame, shocks, or even purchasing a new truck.

Once you've uncovered all the hidden features corresponding to the entire roster (50 in total) and arenas, you can replay the entire game using each of the items that were unlocked. Unfortunately, once Championship Mode is completed, there's nothing else to unlock or experience, leaving players with a relatively short game session. Monster Jam would benefit greatly had it featured a multi-player. It's my opinion that the development team rushed the game, giving a mediocre effort to the graphics, which as I highlighted earlier don't seem to take advantage of the GBA's capabilities.

Final Notes: Overall, the gameplay and sound is well laid out. The replay value is very low, after beating Championship Mode, there's very little incentive to continue coming back to the game. hardly any replay value left that is why link cable support should have been included into this game. Trying to blow up other trucks is fun, but how long can it last? Ubi Soft should of left the game in the shop for a tune up All in all, the game is fun, but isn't worth the hour or so worth of play.

· · · Bandit