Now that the shelf life of the Game Boy Micro and Game Boy Advance is slightly dwindling in the face of the Nintendo DS and the other evolving handhelds on the market, I see a trend growing here with taking older games and re-packaging them as "combo deals" for the platform. THQ is already milking their Scooby-Doo! games for all their worth, and Konami's even getting in the act, mushing the Castlevania games Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow into one game pack. But most intriguing of these double packs-on-one-cartridge is Sega's latest offering, which brings together two Sonic the Hedgehog games that were a hit for the platform and putting them in one convenient place. And here's Sonic Double Pack.

Sonic Double Pack includes two entirely different games, both revolving around the Sonic universe. Sonic Advance is the hedgehog's first platforming adventure for the GBA, made by Sonic Team along with some help from Dimps. Sonic Pinball Party is exactly what its title says, a pinball game with numerous tables and even a story mode, where you can challenge numerous Sonic friends and foes to a compettiive game of high-scoring pinball. C'mon, what did you expect, violent croquet? Besides, we all know Knuckles would RULE at that.

Sonic Advance is a platforming game that features four characters that can be unlocked over the adventure. You start with Sonic but can eventually get the likes of other characters, including Cream the Rabbit. They mostly control the same, although each one has a little something to make their personality stand out, be it a standing animation or a slight ability that gives them an advantage. This game was a lot of fun years ago, and it still remains so today, with its precision controls and fitting presentation. Granted, it still runs into a few pratfalls that hurt the series over the years, including the occasional "stuck" spot on a level that takes a bit to figure out, but they're just part of the journey.

Sonic Pinball Party lets you choose a number of tables to play on, and then gives you goals that you have to complete on each table. You can go right into the Arcade and get to playing on a Sonic or Nights table (no, it's not Nights 2, but take what you can get these days, folks), or you can work your way through Story Mode and gain access to other Sonic Team speciality tables, including a kicker of a Samba De Amigo table. There's a variety of tables here, and lots to shoot at, although some may get frustrated by the game's crammed table viewing. It's all done with a scrolling playfield, meaning that the screen moves along with the ball and sometimes doesn't quite give you an indication of where it's headed. This means that it sometimes goes out, right down the middle, leading into a frustrating loss of a turn. Other than that, the graphics look fine, and the music's a kick, especially the old theme for Nights.

So they're older games, yes. But Sega's done the wise thing and dropped this bundle to $20, so you're essentially getting two of their best for a bargain price. This only brings up two slight problems with the collection. First off, there's nothing really new here, so if you've beaten these games, messed around with the numerous mini-games, and done everything you can with the multiplayer and connectivity, you won't find anything new here. Second, and this is a MINOR complaint, I'm wondering why only two games made the cut here. The GBA cart could have had room for a couple more games, maybe even something out of the old Genesis catalog. Perhaps Sega's saving this up for a future Sonic Double Pack release. We'll see.

But these are minor setbacks. The bottom line is, you get value here for your $20. Sonic PInball Party, while not perfect, still has lots to offer, and Sonic Advance is still some of the best platforming you can do on the go. Sonic Double Pack is an essential GBA purchase, even if you absolutely, positively hate Chao like Mr. John "Chao Killer" Benyamine does. He's killed so many that I believe Yuji Naka has a restraining order that prevents him from buying stuffed ones.