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Ultimate Muscle has slammed its way to the GBA in a decent wrestler. UM - The Path of the Superhero's large line-up of characters and move combinations make a comprehensive wrestling title. But the somewhat clunky character movements and attacks may have some players stepping out of the ring.

UM on the GBA boasts a good number of modes - Story, survivor, 3 on 3 Team battle, versus, and training. In story mode you take control of Kid Muscle and take on increasingly difficult opponents. Survivor mode tests how many matches you can win in a row. 3 on 3 battle lets you choose three characters from a team and duke it out with another team of three. The versus and 3-on-3 battle modes are link-up compatible if you want to take on a friend.

There are a whopping 19 characters to chose from at the start, and four that are unlockable. Characters range from the massive-lipped Kid Muscle to the cell phone bodied Dialbolic. Each character has their own special wrestling trait coupled with personal signature moves. The UM characters have tons of personality and pummel their opponents in a unique fashion. Hydrazoa coils around his opponent to squeeze the life out of him, while Dialbolic will yell out, "Collect call from PAIN!". If you enjoy quality quotes like this, you'll love the characters in UM.

Controls are simple to pick up. The A and B button deliver attacks, while the triggers initiate grapples and signature moves. Depending on the combination, players can deliver punches, kicks, holds, grapples, and signature moves. The grapple system is initiated first by the L trigger. From there a red, yellow, and blue meter will appear in the left corner with an arrow that continuously moves from top to bottom. Hit the A or B button in the yellow zone to grapple your opponent. If you don't time the button press just right, you'll miss your window of opportunity and be tossed by your opponent. To pull off different grapples just hit a direction on the d-pad in addition to a button press.

Each characters can be played with friendship power or dark power. The power meters are used for special attacks and will rise after a decent beating of the opponent. To finish off an opponent each character can pull of a signature move. When the opponent is wiped out the announcer will call it out via text at the bottom of the screen, or the character will say that it's time to finish it off. Push the R trigger in the blue zone after a grapple and you'll toss the character in the air. Players then have to hit both the L and R trigger simultaneously to execute friendship/dark power. This will lengthen the blue area of the grapple meter where players will have to hit A or B to complete the signature move.

Each wrestler moves at a slightly different rate, but for the most part the movements of each character is a tad clunky. The punches and kick action isn't really fluid. There aren't any combos here and players have to repeat the same basic attacks over and over. The visuals are decent and realize each of the cartoon characters in 2D sprite from. The animation isn't great but it gets the job done. The constant text commentary from the announcers and the wrestlers is great, with the announcer calling out each super move you pull off and letting you know when you should finish your opponent.

Ultimate Muscle - The Path of the Superhero is a solid wrestler for the GBA. There are plenty of moves that players can use to beat up their opponents, though the action is a bit clunkier than it needs to be. If you're a fan of the show it's worth checking out. But if you're looking for fluid gameplay, stick with the GC version.