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It's been billed as one of the most eagerly awaited games to come to the Game Boy Color - so has it managed to live up to its anticipation levels? In a word, 'yes'. It was always going to be hard for developers to port over a 32-bit game onto an 8-bit console. However, though detail in the characters has been lost, those who've played the game on other consoles - and there must be few who haven't - will still be able to recognise their favourites.

Ryu, Chun-Li, Sagat and seven of their well 'ard mates are present, and all have their own signature moves which can be accessed with a few calculated button presses (or random trial and error button bashes, as we prefer!) It did feel a bit odd, though, using just two buttons, one for kick and the other for punch, when used to the normal six!

Set in the familiar settings of streets around the world - which are so well detailed you feel you're almost there - you fight a tournament in Arcade mode to see if you've got what it takes to be the best fighter. Don't fret, though, if you've never set eyes on the game before (Have you had your head buried in the sand or what?) as you can have a go in the Training mode and hone your skills before starting a fight.

The NeoGeo Pocket Color has proved that fighting games can work on a hand-held, and Street Fighter Alpha is evidence enough that the world's most famous fighting game can cut it on the small screen. Although devoid of many of the special effects that make the 32-bit console version such a spectacle, this version is still a marvel.

Street Fighter is one of those games that has appeared on every computer and console known to man. I wondered how long it would be before the Game Boy Color got in on the action.

There was a Street Fighter II game for the old yellow and black Game Boy, but it was a bit slow. This version is super-fast, but the characters are quite small. It does have loads of great animation and plenty of special moves though.

Graphics 80%
Small but still cool.

Sound 80%
Not too annoying.

Playability 80%
Pretty quick to learn.

Lastability 80%
You'll keep coming back for more.

Overall 85%
It was definitely worth the wait!