Introduction
First Person Shooters have always been the king of the PC domain and lately the genre has had severe console exposure. This has created mixed results among many gamers. The genre is often difficult to replicate on consoles due to the fact that first person shooter usually rely heavily on a keyboard. Luckily for this new game, it is based on a classic game of the genre rather than the more complicated, control heavy FPS games of today. Although its not the same company. Even though its not the same name. This game is basically a clear cut Doom clone. Now that is not bad in any respect considering the recent port of Doom to the Game Boy Advance has had almost all good reviews. Dark Arena is not anything new or even refreshing for that matter and it can only be respected for what it is. It has all the elements of a Doom clone but it falls short of matching it in a few key areas. Its fun but it will ultimately leave you feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

Gameplay
The sound is a very weak area of the game. The music is very up beat compared to many games in the genre and it does not fit the atmosphere. The sound effects are annoying and the grunts are so bland you will wonder if the guy you are playing is really in pain or if he is just an actor. The weapon sounds are generic and go to fast. I think that the sound could have been worked on a lot more, because it is mainly the sound of and action game that creates a tense atmosphere and this games sound doesn't do anything to help it out.

Story
One thing that can be said about the visuals, is that they are much more colorful than other FPS games. But if you think about it, Doom had dark colors for a reason. This makes Dark Arenas colorful environments weaken the atmosphere of the game. The weapons are nicely detailed but are short on animations. The weapons shoot like a speed machine and makes the game look like it skipped a few frames. The games Speed is decent but it is slightly faster than that of Dooms. It does not have dynamic lighting options. The textures are also more varied than other FPS games but from a distance you can hardly notice the detail or even notice that they are there. Some of the enemy designs are quite interesting but others are just plain odd. The enemy models are the graphics weakest aspect because the enemies are stiff and devoid of animation. They are just plain boring to look at. While the graphics are colorful and the textures are varied, it doesn't change the fact that their are better games to look at when it comes to visuals.

Graphics
The gameplay department fares much better. The game has a basic shoot-em-up setup in the same vein as Doom but while it doesn't work nearly as well, it does plenty of fun. The games story is laid out in the intro sequence and is the last you will ever see anything that resembles a plot. Each level is simply blowing up the bad guys to pulp and that can be fun. I do not recommend this game for hardcore fans of the RPG genre as they will become very bored with the way the game plays. You basically progress through each level and each one becomes significantly more difficult. And just like in Doom, the ending is some what Anti-Climactic as it just ends. Its as simple as that. The game has a lot of levels and will last many a week. The biggest problem the game has overall is that the enemy AI is horrible. The enemies just sit and wait until you practically tap them on the back. They aren't that smart either as they will many times miss you while they are shooting. It brings the games fun factor down knowing you're playing a game with a bunch of dummies. The weapons are varied and the action is great but there are very little puzzles to speak of and all of them are simple switch tricks. The gameplay is nothing new but in this genre, its wont be taken as a complaint, but as a compliment.
Overall the game is pretty good but it misses the mark of being a worthy Doom clone. If you are a Game Boy Advance first person shooter fan, then this is a worthy purchase. If you are a person with varied tastes, then this may better be left for a rental. It will last casual gamers about a week and hardcore gamers only a couple days but the game is well worth the hassle to play. Just don't expect something ground breaking. You will not find that with Dark Arena.