Review
Like a SCUD missile, Desert Strike has homed in on every handheld system since its 1992 Genesis debut. This time the "excuse" is the tenth anniversary of the series, but it's quite possible the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center may have helped trigger the re-release of a game in which U.S. forces must take out a madman from a Middle Eastern country. Regardless, Desert Strike Advance is exactly the same game as older players remember -- no upgrade in graphics, no extra levels or missions, and no multiplayer support.
This is not necessarily terrible considering the game's overall quality, but there are no technical reasons why Electronic Arts couldn't have included all three of the successful 16-bit games on a single cartridge (with room to spare), which would have made the package a must-have. As the first in the series, Desert Strike lacks the variety of Jungle Strike and Urban Strike's ability to leave the chopper and conduct missions on foot. Players can only pilot one chopper through four increasingly challenging levels, which is a big disappointment considering the "Advance" in the title.
Fortunately, the missions are involved enough to hold most players' interest. One mission involves escorting a school bus, another involves rescuing a pilot by destroying a prison to pick him up, but the majority are lengthy search-and-destroy exercises. Desert Strike is noted for its difficulty, which comes into play in the relatively few number of chances to complete a mission and their overall size. Fuel, armor, and rockets are in extremely limited supply, so players will have to destroy a variety of buildings and carefully note which ones have armaments.
Then it's on to destroy tanks, airfields, APCs, guard towers, radar dishes, and enemy compounds while avoiding missiles, machine gun fire, and rockets. There is an unusual amount of strategy in the game, as players are given the freedom to carry out their assortment of missions as they see fit, which through trial and error may mean focusing on a specific target first so you are closer to replenishing supplies such as rockets and ammunition.
The graphics are on par with the Genesis version, no better, no worse, and the sound effects are merely adequate. The game also uses a password system to resume progress after each mission, so there's no way to keep track of statistics such as enemies destroyed, weapons fired, or time of completion. How hard would have it been to implement a few bonus features to enhance replay value, such as earning medals for top times, scores, or kill ratio? Why couldn't there be a multiplayer free-for-all?
As it stands, Desert Strike is a worthy choice for those who have never enlisted in the series and are looking for a challenging shooter that won't be finished in one sitting. Everyone else should go AWOL on this title, however, as it is yet another Game Boy Advance cartridge offering nothing to those who have previously played it in one form or another -- other than perhaps a fleeting dose of nostalgia.
Graphics 
As good as the 16-bit original, but not taking advantage of the handheld. Some of the ground units can be difficult to see on the small screen.
Sound
Again, each sound effect is distinguishable from one another, but the quality isn't up to the system's standards.
Enjoyment 
The game is a nice mix of action and strategy for those who never experienced it before. Those who have should pass based on the lack of enhancements.
Replay Value
There's little incentive to play through the game more than once. A little more time spent in this area would have gone a long way.
Documentation
The manual is a combination of French and English, but it just covers the basics.
