Beach gaming

As the song goes, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine". Or do they? With summers come holidays and for gamers it can be a frustrating time. Getting dragged from a favourite console and frog marched down the beach - by partner or mum - isn't much fun. After all, isn't it more fun playing Splinter Cell in a darkened lounge than slowly morphing into part-man-part-lobster on the beach?

It's not that we hate holidays you understand, but there are so many drawbacks to the beach. Sand that can find its way into cavities that we didn't even know we had, screaming kids and sunburn that makes us feel like we've been given forty lashes. But worst of all is the boredom - there's nothing but ground and water to play with.

What we need is a distraction, a diversion to get us out of the routine of lying on a crowded stretch of monotonous coastline watching fat people sweat more than an MP in a corruption scandal. Say a big thank you then to the Game Boy Advance SP - the saviour of gamers everywhere!

Purists may snigger behind their ninja PCs but the modest technical capacity of the Game Boy Advance range is eclipsed by the ability to play it anywhere at anytime without the need for cables, plug sockets and (for those with parents or partners) permission. Sneak out for a walk and finish that extra level in Zelda. Have to take a long flight? Then skip the crap movie and try and collect a few more Pokemon. When faced with boredom on the beach do what we do and play FIFA until we can win the World Cup blindfolded. Being able to play games wherever we want is cool and the summer season is when it can be at its best.

Of course the outlook for Game Boy wasn't always this bright. In fact you can barely see the original GBA screen. But the recent launch of the GBA SP has fixed everything. A sexier design that looks like a portable DVD player coupled with the all-important backlit screen make the GBA SP a real contender. And with the ever-increasing sophistication of games on offer you'll be amazed at what's around. Pretty much all the big-game licenses - Splinter Cell, Mario, Zelda, Sims - have GBA versions and Nintendo are really pushing the connectivity between GBA SP and Gamecube.

So if you're faced with a two-week holiday away from your games console, don't fret. Bring Nintendo's little friend along for the ride, because not everybody loves the sunshine.

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