Just this past weekend Neo-Geo released its Neo-Geo Pocket portable gaming system. Being the compassionate gaming-Goliath that I am, I swiftly obtained one for the good of videogames.com readers everywhere. Here's what you can expect should you decide to get one for yourself.

　　The Size, Shape, and Sound The NGP is a little smaller than the Game Boy Pocket in both height and width. It is the same thickness, however, from front to back. It also feels much lighter than the Game Boy Pocket. This comes as a slight surprise since screenshots gave me the indication that it was Game Gear size. Happily, this is not the case.

　　The version I got was the "skeleton" model, which is the Japanese way of saying that it's see-through. The cartridge slot is located in the back behind the screen, which, coincidentally, is the same exact size as the Game Boy Pocket's. The power button, which is positioned in the top-left corner, has a blinking red light next to it that is a little annoying since it never stops blinking. The "pause button," which is called "option," is situated in the top-right corner.

　　There are two action buttons (A and B, a la Game Boy) on the right side of the NGP. The directional button, naturally, is on the left side. The interesting thing about the D-pad is that it mimics the D-pad found on Neo-Geo controllers found on the home systems. It takes a little getting used to, but it's much more fluid than the usual stiff controller found on the Game Boy.

　　The contrast and volume controls are located on the bottom of the unit, along with the headphone jack and optional power plug socket (which, by the way, is compatible with the Game Boy Pocket adapter). Sound quality is sharp and vibrant, perhaps a little louder than the Game Boy, but it sounds basically the same. Holding the NGP is a little weird at first since it is held sideways and not vertically, like the Game Boy. There is an indentation behind the screen, which creates a natural place for your fingers to rest and grip. People with larger hands may find it a bit small to hold comfortably, but it's not a big deal.

　　The Big Picture Essentially, the screen's picture quality can, once again, be compared directly to the Game Boy Pocket's. There is none of the dragging and blurring associated with the original Game Boy, and the scrolling is clear and smooth. However, the default background screen is a shade darker than the Game Boy Pocket, making the whole image quality darker overall. If any system needed a lighting option (like the Game Boy Light) it's this one. You'll need good lighting to get the most out of the Neo-Geo Pocket.

　　Yes, there is a contrast control on the NGP, but with games like King of Fighters R-1, which has a lot of background detail, you'll have to keep it at a darker setting in order to get all the graphics onscreen.

　　Tell Us About the Games!As of this moment, the only game I managed to get my greasy little hands on is King of Fighters R-1 (as in "Round 1"). Like any other KOF game, you can play as a team or as a single fighter. The fighters are all superdeformed, so it looks a little like Pocket Fighters.

　　The game plays pretty fast, just like the actual Neo-Geo system. Perhaps even a little faster. Like all KOF games, there is a cheesy boss; this time it's Orochi from KOF '97. In fact, the entire game is loosely based on KOF '97, so fans of the series should have no problems getting right into the game.

　　The characters are incredibly well-animated, much better than you might imagine. Again, it takes a little getting used to in regard to the D-pad, but after a while your thumbs will be glad for its uniqueness.

　　The packaging for the games is nice, with the basic box a miniature-sized version of the boxes Neo-Geo cartridges come in. On the inside is a small Game Boy-style see-through case. Neo-Geo also includes a full-color instruction booklet. Nice stuff.

　　Extracurricular FeaturesFollowing a stylish little start-up screen, let's suppose you don't have a cartridge inserted into the NGP. You'll be escorted to a "Pocket Menu" where you can adjust a calendar, a horoscope (it's limited, so don't get all excited), a world-time clock (which gives you the time in major cities all over the world), an alarm, and a "settings menu" where you can set the default language to either English or Japanese, just like the Neo-Geo CDZ. Cool! That means you can play the games in English. Yeah!

　　The game runs on two AAA batteries (hmm, just like the Game Boy Pocket) but also takes a special watch-style CR2032 battery for backing up Pocket Menu data. Fortunately, these batteries come with the game, so you'll be able to start playing right away. The last detail of interest is the extension jack located on the upper-right corner of the system. Assuming you have a friend with the same system, you'll be able to link up and play two-player bouts of King of Fighters as well as other titles that I haven't seen yet.

　　Of even greater importance is that this jack can also be used to link up with Sega's Dreamcast. Exactly how this will work is not known at this time, but hopefully it will be cool.

　　Final SynopsisIf you're an SNK/Neo-Geo fan like I am, this is the coolest little thing you could get your hands on. Forget about Bandai's WonderSwan (blechhh); this is the handheld to get. Neo-Geo always supports its systems (in fact, it's the only one), but if you can't get enough of its fighting games and occasional driving or sports games, this is definitely worth picking up. While prices may vary, you shouldn't pay more than $75 for the system and $48-50 for each import game.

　　SNK hasn't said whether it's bringing the Neo-Geo Pocket to the States, but since you can play the games in English anyway, why not get it now? Let's hope it does another Samurai Showdown RPG!