First appearing on the 16-bit Super NES platform in 1994, Capcom's Mega Man X series moved away from the classic "Blue Bomber" of old and introduced a new, more powerful Mega Man. First-time players can now familiarize themselves with the character with the release of Mega Man Xtreme for the Game Boy Color.

The story is as follows: X is a member of the Maverick Hunters, a futuristic police force. It seems an evil hacker named Techno has seized control of the Maverick computer system and revived some of X's past enemies. As a result, the bad boys of Mega Man Xtreme are a group of rejects from the past: famous villains such as Chill Penguin, Spark Mandrill and Flame Stag.

While levels and environments are designed to be reminiscent of previous games in the series, there is one notable change for the handheld version. You'll now have to take on the enemies face to face, and if you leave the screen, the baddies will follow after you. Returning to the game is the classic power-up system, in which X searches for upgrades to his circuitry.

Locating a number of items will give him new moves, such as the ability to dash or head-butt specific objects. Another feature is your character's armor suit that packs a powerful crushing punch. X can control the suit until a certain amount of damage is incurred. Mega Man X is compatible with all versions of the Game Boy and includes battery backup for saving data.