Shortly after Pokémon Red & Blue launched in the United States, Wizards of the Coast started publishing the trading card game, which might best be described as Magic: The Gathering but less complicated. I fell head over heels in love with it—booster packs were my crack, and I spent every spare dime I had at the comic shop on them. I was even a member of the local Pokémon League, and I won two badges in the brief time that group existed. At some point, we got a virtual version of the TCG on the Game Boy Color, and it actually came with a promotional Meowth card that I still own and treasure. But the game itself is wonderful, and very faithful to the original card game.

The metagame is structured similarly to the core Pokémon games: you are an up-and-coming card game player out to win the “Legendary Cards” from the master players, but to do so, you must win badges from gym leaders throughout your home island. Each gym focuses on different Pokémon types, of course, and your challenge is to take a starter deck and modify it over time to fit whatever scenario you’re being faced with. Instead of winning money from battles, you’ll win booster packs so you can slowly accrue an impressive collection of cards. When you win a given badge, you’ll gain access to several pre-made decks—assuming you have the right cards to build them.

Building up your collection becomes the game’s biggest grind, but opening booster packs is always a thrill. There are some unique Game Boy-only cards in this virtual card game, and they slot into the rest of the cards in a natural way (quite a few leverage the ability to randomize outcomes). None of your opponents have terribly well-constructed decks, and I was able to blow through seven of the eight Gyms by continually modifying my “Squirtle & Friends” starter deck. But it will take you a long time before you can have even TWO complete, competent decks. Boosters are experience in this game.

The game isn’t necessarily for everybody—I’d say that people with a fondness for the original TCG will get the most out of the game. For others, it may have quite a difficulty curve. My one real complaint—the same now as it was back in 2000—is that the coin flips are pre-determined, so Restore Points won’t save you from an unfavorable outcome. The only way to remedy is bad coin flip is to load your Restore Point, use a coin flip action that you don’t mind losing, and hope the next coin-flip action is a success. I heartily recommend the Pokémon TCG video game. It’s a faithful adaptation of the real card game and has charm for days.