"One of the best portable platformers ever."

Earthworm Jim was released for the Sega Game Gear in 1995. It was developed and published by Shiny Entertainment.

Graphics-10/10- The characters are of a good stature, they all have an original look and have excellent animation. The animation must be seen to be believed, it's some of the
smoothest ever seen in a video game in my opinion. Small graphical touches like mucus coming off of your opponent in the bunjie jump levels round out the beautiful graphics.

Pros- Super-smooth animation and nice graphical touches help make the graphics one of the game's best features.
Cons- None

Sound-8/10- The in-game music is great, of fits the stages perfectly, it's not as good as the original, but it's still good. The sound effects are excellent, each one is crystal clear and fits in with the on-screen action perfectly.

Pros- The music is great, as are the sound effects.
Cons- The music does occasionally get repetitious.

Gameplay-8/10- You go through many levels destroying bad guys in order to get to that
level’s boss, it’s basically the same goal as in every other side-scrolling game, but the wonderous level design adds some flavor (What the Heck? is a perfect example.

Pros- Original level design.
Cons- Nothing new has really been added.

Control-9/10- Perfect in almost every way imaginable, the only problem being that of
swinging from one area to the next, it's a little choppy in that respect, but it's perfect in every other.

Pros- It's very responsive in most areas.
Cons- Except the swinging areas.

Presentation-9/10- Excellent, everything is vibrant and alive, from the title screen to the death scenes, it's all great.
Pros- Everything fits the setting and characters of the game.
Cons- None

Replay Value-5/10- It’s always fun to play this game, it’s just too bad that there's nothing left to accomplish after you've beaten it, the only thing you really could do is try to beat your old score. It's the game's fatal flaw.

Pros- It’s always fun to play.
Cons- There’s not much to do after you beat it.

Overall-8/10- The graphics are superb, as is the sound, the control is, for the most part, perfect. If you liked the original Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo versions, pick this one up, it's basically the same game only the graphics aren't as good.

Rent or Buy?-Buy- If you can find the game, buy it, it shouldn’t cost more than $10 and it’s a game you’ll play for hours on end. Here are some suggestions on where to buy the game: Funcoland (or their website), flea markets and pawn shops are also good places try.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/00, Updated 09/24/00