Consoles: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS Lite, Game Boy Micro

Developer/publisher: Square Enix

Genre: Role playing

Number of players: One

Rated: E (for everyone), for mild fantasy violence and mild suggestive themes

The premise: If this game looks familiar, that's because it was originally called "Final Fantasy III" when it was brought to the U.S. for the Super Nintendo. This is actually "Final Fantasy VI" in the series.

After the war of the Magi, magic is forgotten. Steam engines, gunpowder and technology begin to rule. Powerful magical beings known as Espers appear. What is their purpose?

Game play: Following standard role-playing, all the battles are turn-based — you wait for the bar to fill and then it's your character's turn. The 12 characters bring different abilities to the battle. Edgar, for instance, is the fighter; controller and button sequences unleash his powerful attacks.

The good/bad: I have played four versions of this game — twice on the Super Nintendo, once on the PS1 and now this one. It's a game that's worth playing again. Having the ability to replay a great game anywhere is exactly what the portable market is supposed to be. I can't help but wonder what took so long to come up with this. It would seem to be the most popular cartridge game of the series.

Some features I would have liked: Wi-Fi support, better graphics, a Wi-Fi Colosseum, multiplayer mode and mini games.

Tips: Be sure to save often and especially at save points in dungeons. Buy plenty of Phoenix Downs for downed characters, especially in Dungeons.

Later in the game, you get a choice between an item and a character — choose the character. This character helps recruit an additional party member.

Know when to fight and when to flee. If you must fight, fight to the last man (woman).

My take: A great remake is one that gives you the same feeling the original did many years ago, and inspires you to play it from beginning to end over and over. If done right, role-playing games are a good deal; you get your money's worth. RPGs last a lot longer than the average adventure/action game and have engrossing stories to keep you interested. A good one will pull you in right from the beginning; it makes you care about what is going on with characters on the screen. I'm glad this game was released, but I wish it had been done for the Nintendo DS, which likely would have included more extras. Still, for some good retro RPG action, I highly recommend picking it up.

Jeffrey Davis, of Honolulu, is a video-game enthusiast.