Most people would probably know Sabreman from his cameo in Banjo-Tooie. However, Sabreman has been around a lot longer than that. This very British adventurer first appeared on the Sinclair Spectrum, a home computer system that was popular in Europe. He first appeared in Sabre Wulf, where he was searching for four pieces of the Sabre Wulf amulet to seal away the terrifying Wulf. Sabreman also had further adventures in Underwurlde and Knight Lore. Now he returns to face his nemesis, a fair bit older but still just as adventurous.

A villainous fiend known as Dr. Dolittle-Goode has been scheming to control Blackwyche Village and the surrounding lands. However, he's been nothing more than all talk. Unfortunately, he found out about Sabre Wulf who was sealed in the statue in the centre of the village. Dolittle-Goode broke the amulet and freed the Wulf from its prison, and now it's MAD. Teaming up, the Doctor and the Wulf set about to terrorize the world, and only Sabreman can stop them!

Sabre Wulf is split into two styles of gameplay: a 3-D overhead explorathon and classic 2-D platforming levels. The 3-D overworld has you interacting with characters, buying items from shops, finding hidden treasure tucked away, and of course entering the 2-D Wulf Lairs. There are also a couple of side-quests that can be completed in the overworld too. The lairs themselves are pretty straightforward -- reach the end of the level any way you can, nab the treasure that canine kleptomaniac has stolen, then run like hell to the tent again. (Sabre Wulf will steal anything: sleds, women's underwear, surfboards, even the Mayor.) The treasure's value lowers the longer you take, so speed is the key. The Wulf chase music will get your heart pounding, and it's priceless to hear Sabreman exclaim, "Spiffing, wot?" or "Gently, Bentley!" when he makes it back to his tent.

While Sabre Wulf appears to be simple, there's more to it than meets the eye. Because you have to get to the lair and back again quickly, there's an element of speed involved. However, sometimes you'll require certain creatures to get past certain situations, which requires forward planning to solve the puzzles and get to the lair quickly. If you're good enough, you can take out multiple enemies with one hit, or use multiple creatures to take out an enemy, earning yourself a combo bonus. And lastly, when you grab the treasure, all the items and enemies that were there previously turn into coins which bounce around the level, giving you the opportunity to grab more treasure while you head back. This may also open up a quicker route home than was previously inaccessible on the trip to the lair. If that's not enough, when you earn the gold treasure for a level, Challenge Mode becomes accessible for that level. In this mode, your aim is to get the treasure at the lair with a limited amount of creatures (sometimes none). While it's possible to get the gold treasure, if you're good enough (and you DO need to be good), you can earn the coveted "R" treasure. One level in particular requires finishing a level in 8.4 seconds!

Sabreman himself can do little more than jump, which is where his assortment of local creatures comes in. There are fifteen different creatures available in the game, but he can get more than one of each. Some are hidden within the levels, while others can be purchased from Cookie, the local creature vendor. Cookie will also trade any treasure you snatch from the Wulf for coins, and will comment on how much you have: “Whoa! It looks like you robbed a museum or something!" Each creature does something different. For example, the Phoenix grants you temporarily invincibility; Blubba can be used as a trampoline; Golem can be used as a stepping stone or to crush enemies, and so on.

To use a creature, all you need to do is press 'B' to bring up the creatures menu, press left and right to select your creature, confirm with 'A', then use the Control Pad and the A Button again to place it where you like. (It's easier than it sounds.) The only problem with this setup is that later on, because you have fifteen creatures to scroll through, it can be difficult to select the creature you want quickly. It would have been great if you could have assigned two of your most used creatures to the L and R Buttons so that you don't have to go through the menu.

Music is of impeccable quality. Done by the same composer as Conker's Bad Fur Day, Sabre Wulf’s soundtrack features some excellent tunes. As mentioned earlier, the Wulf Chase theme (with didgeridoos!) really increases the tension as the Wulf is snapping at your heels. While all the other music is excellent, some of the most notable music includes the village levels, the rainforest levels with the flutes, and the industrial mine levels with the hammers clanging in time with the beat. Sadly, because you're racing to get through the levels as fast as possible, most people won't hear more than half of the music (except for the later levels -- man, are they TOUGH).

The sound effects are also excellent. Speaking to people in the overworld will start up the Banjo Babble, but there is actual speech from Sabreman whenever he swipes something back from the Wulf (“LEG IT!") or makes it back to his tent (“GREAT SCOTT!"). His knees will also knock when the 'Wulf howls in rage from your thievery. In the jungle, crickets chirp and birds hoot and caw. In the mountains you'll hear yodelling, goat's bells jingling, and the whooshing of the snow. Villages will have the town clock ringing out the hours, chickens clucking, and the general mumbling of the populace. The only problem with the sound is the Karnath Falls level, where the rumbling of the massive waterfall can sound distorted through the Game Boy's tiny speaker.

Graphics are also extremely well done in Sabre Wulf. The colours are bright and clear, and all the characters have distinct personalities. There are plenty of GBA special effects being used, such as transparency, and the sprite scaling is actually used for something decent instead of a novelty look. One of the enemies grows bigger and bigger until it's eventually blocking your entire path. Also, in the overworld, if Sabreman steps into a building’s shadow, he also becomes darker: a subtle effect, but a very nice touch. Occasionally, the game will slow down on the 2-D lairs, but that will only happen if there are ten or more characters on the screen at one time, which happens rarely.

Sabre Wulf is a shining example of how to create something fresh and original. In the sea of generic collect-a-thon shovelware platformers available for the Game Boy Advance, Rare has created something completely unique, charming, and fun overall. I'd recommend this to any platforming fan without question. Sabreman is the coolest old person ever, even edging out Doc Brown from Back to the Future. Now THAT'S impressive. I’m looking forward to Sabreman's next adventure.