It's been awarded medals for great achievement, stories of its missions have become legend, and people the world over speak its name in supreme respect. Advance Wars was truly a landmark in gaming when it made its Game Boy Advance debut in early 2001 - and now it's back! Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising continues the gripping story of the original game, and adds a battalion of new features. The evil Black Hole Army, as seen during the final missions of Advance Wars, are on the rise. Their leader, Sturm, has created a new base of operations and set his sights on Cosmo Land. Determined to claim the country for himself, Sturm has employed the services of new commanding officers (COs) to lead an army of strange new soldiers into battle. Only by forming an uneasy alliance can the armies of Cosmo Land have a hope of fending off these invaders. If you're new to the world of Advance Wars, here's how it works. As a military commander, you have complete control over an army of 'units' (made up of land, sea and air vehicles, and ground troops). Most missions must be won by either defeating all the computer-controlled enemy's units or taking over their headquarters. But you can also win by surviving a certain amount of rounds, reaching a location in a set time, and more. Each side in the battle takes turns to move their units (each turn representing a day of mission time) across a variety of terrain (plains, hills, water, snow, to name but a few). When an attack commences, the map screen switches to a graphically glorious anime-style sequence that shows the battle in action. But there's more to this game than meets the eye - much more. Each side in the battle has a CO, who have their own unique territorial strengths. Some COs are more accustomed to long-distance ground combat, others are stronger at using air units, while others are simply all-rounders. Each CO also has a trick up his or her khaki-clad sleeve. During the mission, a meter slowly fills up. When it reaches maximum, you can unleash their CO Power. Many COs and Powers will be familiar to veterans of the original Advance Wars, but Advance Wars 2 introduces a new weapon - Super CO Powers. These mega-attacks can rain destruction upon your enemy or boost your airborne units' combat strength, for instance. More features introduced in Advance Wars 2 include new units to control (plus many old favourites). There's the massively powerful Neotank, or missile silos that can launch devastating attacks from afar. Plus, there are new terrain features that make for an even deeper strategy experience. And that's just for the single player game. Like its predecessor, Advance Wars 2 features a stunningly strategic multiplayer mode. Up to four players can compete in a series of pre-set multiplayer missions, by sharing a single Game Pak or by linking their Game Boy Advances. You can even play with a friend by simply swapping the GBA each turn. Plus, you have complete freedom to create your own maps using an advanced map maker mode. You can trade your maps with friends or lay down the gauntlet and challenge them to a duel on your custom-created battlefield. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is easily accessible, incredible to look at and immense fun to play - especially in multiplayer mode. Once you pick it up, you simply won't be able to put it down!