Developed by: Crave Entertainment Published by: Crave Entertainment Release Year: 2005 ESRB Rating: Everyone For: Gameboy Advance The Bible Game on the GBA (Gameboy Advance) is drastically different than The Bible Game on the PS2 (and Xbox); in fact it is unclear why the same name was used. I want to note that Alpine Studios comes up in the game boot up (and is in the credits), but neither their website, nor Crave Entertainment?s list them. This version of the game is an action/adventure romp with some occasional trivia questions. At the start of the game, you are allowed the choice of picking a boy, or girl to play with. From there, the player goes on a quest for the armor of God. One really nice feature of this game, is there is an in game instruction manual for those who get stuck (no need to get the instruction manual from the box). GAMING EXPERIENCE:

Game Play:

The gameplay is a nice mix of action, and answering questions. There are some nasty insects/animals in this game (including cockroaches, spiders, frogs, and scorpions). Jumping on them (ala Mario style) is the order of the day to collect items. Minions (that look like small demons) will fly around a key piece and shoot fireballs at you. Running into the minions produces a trivia challenge. The number of questions vary (an example would be get 5 out of 10 right), but there is no time limit so if the question is above the player - grab the Holy Bible to find the answer. Questions range from simple to ?you gotta be kidding me.? The questions are always multiple choice, so guessing is always an option. If the quota is not reached, the minion escapes. In that event just chase it down again, and give it another go. Once all of the key pieces are earned in a level, then the player goes to the church - to use the key to open the door. Opening a door to the church earns a piece of the armor of God. This game also has caves where jumping sequences are required. It took a couple of tries to get used to the jumping mechanics, however once this reviewer did it was no problem (as long as patience was utilized).

Graphics:

The graphics are adequate in the action/adventure portion in regards to character models. Nothing too exceptional, and nothing too terrible. The graphics of the trees, and churches within the levels are nicely done. The really exceptional graphics are after all key pieces have been acquired, the church is entered, and that levels piece of the armor of God is earned. Those pieces of the armor of God look really good on the Gameboy Advance. The ending scene is also nicely done as well.

Sound:

The sounds are stellar. The music, and voices on the Gameboy Advance stunned me. This was the first thing that this reviewer noticed about this game. The sounds ROCK!

Control:

The controls are perfect. There was no control issues with this game whatsoever. I played it with the GBA, GBA SP, DS, and Gameboy Player. There were no issues whatsoever with any of them.

Longevity:

This game has a wonderful learning curve, along with three difficulty settings. The main reason to replay this game is the 1,500 questions based off of the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. APPROPRIATENESS ISSUES: Violence: The animals can be squashed by jumping on them. This is the only issue of violence in this game. Language: There is no bad language in this game at all. Occult Themes: Absolutely none. Sexuality: There is no sexuality in this game at all. Moral/Ethical Issues: There are no moral, or ethical issues in this game that are detrimental. Bonus: The story in this game delivers a good moral lesson. (+3 pts) Closing Comments: I was extremely excited about The Bible Game, and extremely apprehensive. After all Hollywood has floundered with movies based on the Holy Bible. On the other side of the coin ?The Passion of the Christ? got it right. The first impressions I had of this game is how awesome the music was. I was not expecting that. I also verified the questions, and answers to make sure they were Biblically accurate. So, I started the first level, and gotta tell you that I was having some trouble. I read the instructions within the game, and got a clue as to how to play. The first few levels I was blowing through the questions with ease, so much so that I found out answering all the questions right gives an extra life. Further on in the game, I started missing some questions, and even let a minion get away a few times. It was a very humbling experience, it taught me that I need to spend more time reading the Holy Word of God. This is a good game, that fans have been begging for, well for years now. It is encouraging to see Crave Entertainment taking a chance, and giving the super majority of Americans what they want. This game is not perfect, however at $19.99 or less, you will get your money\'s worth (in my humble opinion). Thank you for taking time to read this review. God bless you and yours.

Final Ratings:

Game Play: 9/10 Graphics: 7/10 Sound: 10/10 Control: 10/10 Longevity: 7/10 GAMING TOTAL: 43/50 Violence: 9/10 Language: 10/10 Occult Themes: 10/10 Sexuality: 10/10 Moral/Ethical Issues: 10/10 APPROPRIATENESS TOTAL: 52/50

Overall Score: 95%