It seems the evil Wario has found a home on Nintendo's Game Boy line of systems. His first two adventures were on the original Gameboy, then he made his third appearance on the Gameboy Color system, and now, like clockwork, old Wario is showing up on the Gameboy Advance system. Taking many of the things that have made the Wario Land series so popular on the previous Gameboy systems, Nintendo has carefully molded together one of the most playable Wario Land games yet, and not only does it look better than ever, it also plays better than ever as well.

     Storyline: 7.0/10 - Once again, in his neverending search for riches, Wario stumbles upon a lost pyramid. Once inside his greed takes over and he begins his search for treasure. Traveling from warp to warp, Wario must traverse level after level in his search for the secrets of the pyramid, and maybe a little money to boot.

     Graphics: 9.0/10 - Graphically, it's nice to see a Wario Land game actually look this good. Wario Land 3 was a pretty big step up in the visual department, but on the 16-bit Gameboy Advance, the world of Wario seems to come alive like never before. Great use of multi-layered scrolling, not to mention terrific detail in each and every level really show off just how powerful, graphically, the Gameboy Advance really is. The game has a vibrant and colorful look to it, and each and every level has it's own distinct look and feel to it. Overall Wario Land 4 is one of the best looking of the first generation gba titles.

     Sound/Music: 8.0/10 - The music in the game seems to fit the mood quite well. Ranging from very melodic, almost ballady tunes, all the way to the one track in the soundtrack that actually features some really distinctive Japanese vocals, all of the music in Wario Land 4 has a unique catchiness to it that will keep you humming the tunes long after you've put the game down. Wario returns with his typical growl, but the sound effects in the game are all pretty standard and don't seem to make good use of the gba's sound capabilities.

     Gameplay: 8.5/10 - Wario once again returns with all of his trademark moves, with a few new ones as well. As in previous games, Wario has the ability to take on different abilities, ranging from becoming a zombie that can slip through floors, to a vampire bat that can fly in the air. What makes the Wario Land games so playable is how Nintendo has crafted these abilities to not only help Wario, but also to make the player learn not only how to use them, but how to manage them as well. For instance, there may be times when becoming a zombie can be more of a hinderance than a help, causing Wario to fall through floors that he doesn't necessarily want to fall through. The levels in Wario Land 4 also normally contain puzzles that must be solved in order to progress through the level. The newest feature of Wario Land 4 has got to be the way you complete a level. No longer do you just play through to the end, this time around you have to find the key ghost located somewhere in each level, hit the timer plunger, and then beat the clock back to the beginning of the level where the warp entrance is located. This may seem easy, but as the levels get more tricky, it can be tough getting back to the warp in a hurry. Once again Nintendo has hit a homerun with the gameplay and control in Wario Land 4 as it's easily the most playable game in the series to date and one extremely fun sidescroller.

     Overall: 9.0/10 - As I said, the level of playability in this game is remarkable. There are plenty of levels to play through, not to mention some challenging bosses to deal with. The mini-games give the game a little replay value, but they're mostly there for a quick diversion from the game itself, and seem to be more for show than anything else. If you're a fan of sidescrollers you owe it to yourself to give Wario Land 4 a try. And if you're a big fan of the series already, then you should have this one tucked away safely in your collection already. A must-have for any Gameboy Advance owner.