Lightning flashes and splits the darkness. A man dressed in a white karate uniform is lit up by its flare. His eyes are fixed strong in their gaze, piercing the thick of the night with his hard glare. Tightening the leather pads about his hands, he clenches his fist and begins to bounce softly on his hardened heels, throwing hard punches through the air against his shadow.

The door opens and a lady with curlers in her hair, wearing an apron stands in the doorway. “Tobias, what are you doing in your room with the light off?!” She flicks the switch and sees you standing there in your white dressing gown with a red tie about your head and a pair of brown socks over your hands.

Yes it is true, when I was young, back in the early 90’s I too was caught up in the Street Fighter frenzy and like every other kid I knew, I wanted to be Ryu just as much as them. In the local arcade there was one machine that was surrounded with kids, shouting at the top of their voices and fighting for a go on the game and fight as their favourite fighter to attain the high score. You would have kids flying about through the air trying to perform flying kicks or beating the crap out of their little brothers, performing moves on the poor little toddlers and shouting “Ahuken” as they did so.

So agreeably, the Street Fighter series has a massive worldwide following.

With the vast variety of fighters to choose from, who were from all over the world, how was it possible for the game to actually fail---it wasn’t. Right from the word “fight!” everyone went out and bought their own copy of the game when it was released on consoles such as the Super Nintendo and Sega Megadrive, tapping away until their controllers fell apart from the constant play.

Through the years there were many routes that the series took. In the way of gaming, there continued to be a steady line of 2D games being released but then others such as 3D games and puzzle fighters for the Playstation. But there was also more released from the series. Originating from Japan, there were anime comics, cartoons and films made from it. There was also the American action movie released of the game.

It has been never ending right from when it started. Even now there are more games being made and others that have been released on the new next-generation consoles, consoles such as the GBA.

Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival does exactly what it says on the tin. In al fairness it is more or less a direct port of the original version to the GBA. Apart from a few extras that have been added such as two extra characters, a few extra modes and an art gallery---all of which can be attained by gathering points from completing the game---there is not much of a difference. However, that does not mean that the game is not good or that it is not worth the money.

Now, if you are like me, which I hope you are, I am a mad Street Fighter fan and have tried to get my hands on all of the good titles that have been produced by the series, no matter how similar they were and so I bought Turbo Revival. Who cares if I played it when I was ‘Yay high’? Who cares if it has not changed one bit? Not me!

Now it is a proud part of my GBA collection. Who in their right mind would turn down the chance to play such an amazing game on the go?

As soon as I turned it on, all of the joys from playing the game returned and warmed the cockles of my Street Fighter heart. The old style cut scene kicks in with the classic music and the new anime style art begins to flash across the screen until soon it goes to the title screen. If left then it will play a demo so that the GBA is kept entertained I suppose.

The design of the game is still as great as the original. All of the fighters you have grown to know and love are all here in their pixelated splendour. All of their moves and combos are performed smoothly with the same fireballs and pulsating psycho power from the original that makes the game a fighting frenzy. As an extra added in for all of the characters, anime style drawings have been made of the fighter and come up on the vs. screen and also when you unlock the art gallery.

Carrying on with the same theme as the original, all of the fight locations, that are dotted out around the globe, still have the same exotic design. From the tropical jungles of Brazil to the fighting streets of America, each of the backgrounds are all fitted to the theme of their country with people riding on bicycles and fighter jets blasted past you.

Each of the levels and modes has the original tunes that fit the game and characters so perfectly. Many of them you will hum along to when you play the game and you will never get bored of them. Some of them you might even wish to listen to over and over again, dying on purpose if you are bored. Which is a very rare occasion with this game. The sound effects of people getting beaten or dishing out the beatings make it all feel like the good old days of classic gaming.

At the end of the game, when you complete it with each character then you will see a special ending, showing you how the fighter’s life might go on or whether or not they resolved their problems they had when they had begun to fight.

There is also a multiplayer vs. mode if you have another mate and link your two GBAs together. This is a great way to extend the length of play and test out your skill.

Apart from the art gallery, added characters of Akuma and shin Akuma and the extra modes such as the special bonus rounds and killing 30 fighters within the fastest time, this is a port of the original with its corners smoothed off.

To those who have been playing the games from the series for years, they will all buy this and play it until they have mastered it once again to show that they still have what it takes. If you are new to the game, then firstly you should be ashamed! Secondly, you will be able to play and enjoy a classic game that defined its genre and made it to what it is today. All round it is a win-win.

With a game that offers you so much, whatever end of the stick you are coming from, it is well worth the buy and has the definite right to be added to anyone’s GBA collection. TR