Stages take place in the standard side and overhead views (to break up the action), every one of them taking pieces from their home counterparts. Actually, the overhead stages are nearly carbon copies of the same levels taken from Super C. It moves a little slower at times, but it only takes a few minutes to adjust to the change.

A few weapons are missing (most notably the laser), but the homing missiles more than make up for it. These things are deadly, even more so than the spread gun, the all time favorite amongst Contra fans. The flying pods still bring in the power-ups, the enemies are all the same, and there's always a pesky boss at the end of each stage. In other words, Contra lovers will be right at home. 

Nearly every aspect of this games graphics have been ripped from the NES version. From our lead character to the enemies, everything looks just like it did on the big screen. Surely this is not a bad thing though as those carts pumped out some great graphics. The monochrome Game Boy screen handles everything well without any flicker or slowdown. Blurring isn't a problem

Any vet will instantly recognize the music stripped right from the NES games and retained here perfectly. The side scrolling levels feature music from the NES original while the overhead stages borrow tunes from Super C. All of these tracks are classics and hardly lose any quality coming out of the Game Boy speaker. The same thing goes for the sound effects, all instantly recognizable.

Yes, the two-player mode is gone and it's way too short (a meager five levels) to be a true Contra game, but this hardly detracts from a great portable Contra entry. As the only original Contra on the Game Boy, this is a worthwhile pick up for any owner. It may not be as good as the original, but it doesn't get much better than this with action games on the console.

Tip: The homing missile is only available in the first three levels. You won't see it again after that. Hang on to it!