Metal Gear Solid

The Good
It's Metal Gear Solid - you can flatten yourself against walls(new!), kill the terrorists by simply punching (all the top-down versions for Nintendo and MSX systems previously had this, unlike the Playstation versions). And there's gadgets galore and ammo to be had if you know where to look. You learn some background information about the people you work with through the codec if you contact them enough times - fleshes out the story (this was an MSX-first feature, folks). The new original music is pretty good for a Gameboy Color game. Also, you get cut-scenes ala Ninja Gaiden.

The Bad
Not hub-based levels - after killing a boss enemy, you can't backtrack to pick up more ammo - this is important since you only gain experience (and thus more carry capacity - ala System Shock) by killing boss enemies. You simply get shunted to another building. This takes the fun out of being a machinegun maniac - then again this is a STEALTH game. You get rated by how many times you are spotted, and how fast you finish the level - making every game a time trial if you want to discover more VR missions or non-ammo-related bonuses/challenges. They censored the words e.g. 'Damm!' and took away your Lucky Strike cigarettes(now known as "Smoke Emitters"). They took off the cool, logical puzzle-type of the previous top-down Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for MSX, i.e. using your smoke fumes to tell the wind direction before using a glider to land on another building some distance away. It becomes mostly a matter of squeezing yourself through crannies or mashing buttons for electronic gates(since this particular puzzle is randomised every time). Oh, and the VR missions recycle music from Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for MSX.

The Bottom Line
Metal Gear Solid - for portables. Great fun to be had, and a must buy if you find it in a bargain bin!