Ok, I know that everyone's been adding bits of description to other threads, I just thought I'd post this topic as an easy reference for anyone who hasn't decided whether or not to buy this game.

First and foremost, I'm liking this game a lot more than I thought I would! It really pulls you into the 'world' of Monster Rancher. (I wasn't very fond of the Game Boy game.)

The viewpoint in the game is like the views you see in MR1 and MR2. It's nothing like the overhead old-style RPG view in the Game Boy game.

There's a lot more talking in this game. People visit your farm, you go places and meet them.

It's essentially about you, wandering around an island with an inventory of cards. You are challenged to play the card game, and you advance by winning the matches.

The 'Monsters' I've seen so far have only been pictures printed on the cards. I have not run into any monsters milling around, like you do in the Game Boy game. And there's clearly no raising or training like the MR1 &2 games.

So far, no one's been on any expeditions yet. There may be some that just haven't been unlocked. More places to visit open up on the island, as you progress in the game, and it is fun seeing the insides of various buildings and meeting all sorts of people. Tecmo's site says there are over 50 characters to meet!

The music is a mixture of themes from all 3 previous MR games, played as is if it's a film score, unlike the classical music approach in MR1 &2.

Overall, I'm very glad I bought the game. As a fan of the Monster Rancher series, I'm enjoying my island vacation immensely!

there are now three viewpoints in my household, temporarily, and i will summarize them.

first, a 15 year old friend of the family is spending a few days with us and helping us refurbish our sunroom and basement. he is a big rpg fan - loves ff series and legend of dragoon. he thinks the whole mr series is ... well ... the "g" word, although when i showed him my mr2 ranch at length, either out of conviction or boredom, he conceded that there was a lot of depth and intricacy there. as for the new bc game, well, it is just stupid, period. how could anyone play that?

second, my 11 year old daughter, who has played a lot of mr2, but hasnt mastered it yet, mostly out of impatience.[if she put the time into it, what she knows would make her a master]. the new game is just her speed and style. she has spent countless hours at it, and is teaching me a thing or two about card selection and usage strategy.

last, me. if i didnt have mr in my blood, i doubt that i would be hooked on this game.[unlike the daughter who would love it no matter what]. since i do, i like how it takes things im familiar with, and gives them a little twist. i am sure i will take the time and save colt, at least on easy level. at that point, i will let you know whether it is involving enough that i want to try to do it again on a tougher level or not.

Excellent viewpoints Torey. I am palying on Easy right now, and since I am so far along to saving Colt (whether I want to or not), I will continue to play at that easy level. What happens after youn rescue Colt? NOt sure. Could it open a whole new world of challenges and people and monsters to meet? Not sure. I guess we'll know when we get there. It could also be that at Hard level or Medium level that there are more people and levels. I guess I'll just experiment or wait until someone says "Nope. That's all. It just gets harder." Even then, I may play again. It is quite an entrapping game.

hey tony, after you save colt, the credits will roll and you need to collect all the cards in the game .