When I purchased my Game Boy Advance, the first game I purchased was Fire Pro Wrestling. There is no particular reason why. I think it has more to do with its ancient-looking graphics and the likelihood that it was similar to Nintendo's Pro Wrestling. I was surprised, however, to learn that Fire Pro Wrestling was one of the most difficult, but most satisfying games I've played since Tetris.

It's not so much about wrestling, although there is plenty of it. There are 150 different wrestlers to choose from -- including many familiar looking copies of old favorites, luchadors from Mexico and distinctively Japanese characters. You can create your own wrestlers with an amazingly complex editing system or create your own league with up to 64 different wrestlers and play an entire season(?) right up to your own Wrestlemania.

Even with all that, the pleasure comes not from digitized approximation of two oily, musclebound men locked in combat, but from the basic gameplay mechanics and the satisfaction derived from having such complete and utter control over the whole thing. The intricate system of timing and sense of progression is amazing.

First of all, to even come close to winning a match, you have to watch carefully and press your buttons exactly when wrestlers touch. The two guys sort of take a step back and then lock arms. This is when you have to make your move. Not a millisecond later, not a millisecond less. This takes the button-mashing out of the picture. You have to think about what you're doing. When you win a lock-up, you feel like you have control. It's pretty cool to see a game that rewards patience and thought -- especially considering the target demographic of the Game Boy.

The other really interesting thing is the division of weak moves, medium moves and strong moves. If you win a lock-up with a strong move right at the beginning of the match, your opponent will get a reversal, and you'll end up getting hurt. You have to pull off a series of weak moves to increase your likelihood of successfully completing a medium move, and so on.

It continues to get more complex, as you examine the moves you can do while your opponent is down, and from behind, and counter moves. In addition, each wrestler has his own set of strengths, weaknesses and wrestling styles that you can use to your advantage if you care to spend time thinking about the whole thing, but once you master the timing, and succession of moves, it's endlessly satisfying to pound on opponent after opponent -- reaching zen-like states not unlike those that Alexei Pajitnov was responsible for.