Final Fantasy Tactics is widely regarded as one of the top games in the tactical RPG sub-genre and has developed somewhat of a cultish following over the years. Eschewing the flashy cinematics of its namesake in favor of strategically complex battles, the original Tactics provided game players with almost limitless potential for character customization within the familiar conventions of the Final Fantasy universe. Inspired primarily by the Tactics Ogre games and boasting epic battles that could last a half-hour or more, Final Fantasy Tactics was the compulsive levelers' wet dream come true. Now those gamers are finally getting the chance to soil themselves all over again, as a new Tactics game is hitting the GameBoy Advance.

One of the first games from RPG mega-company SquareEnix, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a pseudo-sequel to the 1998 strategy classic. The basic premise is the same: you manage a roster of characters (called "units") and direct their development in a number of different job classes, such as knights, archers and mages. Like nearly every other RPG ever produced, your units progress by gaining Experience and Ability Points in battle. There are a host of new rule systems to learn in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, as well as some interesting new character classes and battle mechanics. It's not the exact same experience as the original game, but it's still a fine game that offers plenty of fun.

One of the biggest changes is the overall story, which is a lot more kid-friendly than the dark tale of political corruption and religious deceit presented in the original Tactics. You'll play the role of Marche, an unpopular young boy who bears more than a passing resemblance to Ramza. The game starts out in a modern-day setting, in a town called St. Ivalice. After a not-so-friendly snowball fight at school, Marche and his buddies find themselves examining an ancient magic book back at his house. Later that night the book "activates" and sucks everyone in town into the magical world of Ivalice. Here, lizards wield swords, moogles cast magic spells and armored judges riding chocobos preside over battles.

The fish-out-of-water theme has been done to death, but the story in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is relatively unimportant and really takes a back seat to the gameplay. Character customization and development is the name of the game and Tactics Advance provides both in spades. Every unit in your party must practice the arts of a particular job class, each of which has its own unique abilities. Many of the job classes have been seen in other Final Fantasy games (like Dragoons, Paladins and Summoners), while others are either completely new or are based on older ones (like Snipers and Elementalists). Overall there are a lot of fun character types to use, and I'm thrilled to see old favorites like the Red Mage class return to the battlefield in this game.

Tactics Advance adds a new-ish twist to the job system by introducing five distinct races, each of which only has access to a subset of the total job pool. For instance, only the lizard-like Bangaa may wield the spear of the Dragoon, only the lithe Viera can become Red Mages and only the doggish Nu Mou can practice the arts of the Sage. While it's odd to have such restrictions on character development, the races do generally streamline the evolution process and allow you to focus on creating specialized characters. You'll want to have a good mix of races in your clan to ensure a healthy mix of useful abilities. Switching jobs often is encouraged in order to find the best combination of characters and abilities.

Unlike the original game, job classes do not automatically confer new abilities. Instead characters must learn them from the equipment they wear, a system similar to the one seen in Final Fantasy IX. You can use an ability as long as you have its corresponding item equipped, but you can also permanently learn that ability by acquiring ability points (AP). You can earn AP from battles as well as from the various dispatch missions that are available throughout the game. Keeping on top of your clan's equipment needs is much more pressing than it was in the original Tactics, requiring more micro-management on your end to make sure everyone is constantly learning new abilities. Luckily most weapons and armor contain abilities for more than one race, so you don't have to go overboard buying new equipment.

The world of Ivalice is governed by a system of laws that determine which actions are permissible in battle. Violating a rule will earn your offending character a yellow card (handed out by an omnipresent Judge unit), much like in soccer. Defeating an enemy unit with a forbidden ability will get you a red card, and your unit will be sent to prison. You can either pay to bail him out or wait until his sentence is lifted. Most laws are easy to obey, so there's usually no problem keeping your nose clean. Occasionally some troublesome ones pop up, like one that forbids the use of swords in battle. Later in the game you'll acquire the ability to change the laws through the use of magic cards, which will often become necessary in battles with multiple sets of laws that might not favor your squad.

Battles in Final Fantasy Tactics advance unfold on an isometric grid on which each unit occupies a square. The two basic commands, "Move" and "Action" allow your unit to move around the field and execute a basic attack or use on of their abilities. Positioning is crucial to your success, as hits from the side or behind usually have a much higher chance of connecting than frontal attacks. The height of terrain also factors into combat, as classes like archers work best from higher ground, yet have a tough time firing uphill. Attacks and magic spells have a preset range associated with them, so it's a good idea to balance up your character classes to ensure a healthy mix of melee and ranged abilities.

Battles are fun and are often quite challenging, though the difficulty seems to have been toned down from the last game. But there is still some stiff competition to face, and I've seen enemy squads decimate my clan even when they had fewer units. The overworld of Ivalice is empty at first but quickly becomes filled with various towns and battlefields. Tactics Advance uses a variant of the "landmake" system from Legend of Mana. You can place locations like towns, forests and mountains at various points on the world map, though this really serves no purpose other than uncovering items for treasure hunts. Rival clans will pop up on the world map from time to time, giving you plenty of opportunity to improve your clan in battle as well as claim territory as your own.

Most missions are handed out through propositions from the pub located in each town. Missions fall into one of several categories: story battle, regular battle, territory battle or dispatch mission. The dispatch types are similar to the Propositions from the first Tactics game and require you to send out a unit for a specified number of days. Success is determined by experience and job class, but the game helps you out by giving you a visual indicator of the chances for success. Thank you, SquareEnix! Most story battles are handed out from pubs as well, though there are some story sequences that will unfold on the world map. Clearing a story battle will open up another one at the pub, so you can essentially set your own pace for progressing through the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance provides a fantastic experience for fans of strategy RPGs, but the game is hindered by some unfortunate interface issues. For instance, you cannot preview the statistical bonuses of weapons and armor before you buy them in the shop. Most times you will be buying equipment based on what abilities it confers, but it still would have been nice to have a "try on" option that explicitly shows its benefits. Previewing equipment bonuses in your clan menu is also cumbersome, as you must hold the Start button to see the new maximum numbers that the equipment confers. Unfortunately, you can't automatically tell how much better an item is. You can circumvent these issues by comparing the bonuses manually, but I must say that it is quite disappointing that a quality game like this violates basic RPG interface principles.

Most of the changes that SquareEnix has implemented, such as the ability to "undo" the movement of a unit, can be considered functional improvements that make the game more accessible and fun. There are a handful of new features, however, that serve to make the game much easier than its predecessor. For one, all actions, even powerful magic spells and summons, are executed immediately with no charging time. This takes away the risk of using such abilities, and as a result the player has much less planning to do in terms of overall battle strategy. This speeds up the pace of the game considerably, but hardcore fans will likely be displeased with the removal of this type of battle planning.

The game is visually rich and colorful, with detailed backgrounds and well-animated sprite characters. The art style is very reminiscent of the first game, with squat-but-expressive characters and excellent anime-inspired character portraits. The battle animations and spell effects are probably not going to blow you away, but they are competent and attractive nonetheless. Menu screens are complex but are generally well-designed, despite the afore-mentioned interface quirks. The battlefield is completely 2D and cannot be rotated like in the original, but this feature isn't really missed since your view of the field is rarely obstructed. There are a wide range of great-looking battlefields to play on and a good variety of charming enemy characters to fight against. Overall this is a very attractive game that is a lot of fun to look at.

Tactics Advance is no slouch in the audio department either. The music compositions fit the lighter themes of the game quite well, yet are still reminiscent of the wonderful score from the first game. Granted, there aren't as many songs as the original Tactics, but this is easily forgiven considering the limitations of the cartridge format. All told there is plenty of great-sounding music, and it all meshes nicely with the palette of sound effects in the game. Weapons, abilities and magic spells are all accompanied by the type of noises you'd expect, along with a handful of satisfying groans when you finish off a unit. (Moogles make an adorable squealing sound when you kill them.) The music and effects might grow tiresome over the many hours you'll be playing the game, but you can hardly fault the developers for that.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has been a long time in coming, but the wait has provided a fun and, more importantly portable, strategy game. Being able to satisfy that tactical RPG itch on the road, on the subway or just watching TV at home is very much appreciated. This game might not have the deep systems or complex storylines that other titles possess, but its graphics, sound and addictive character customization system still make this game a winner. Its interface problems are annoying, but I think most RPG fans will be able to get past that and enjoy what the game has to offer. If you're a fan of strategy RPGs, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance will provide a lot of what you love about the genre. And it fits in your pocket too!