First of all, I would love to say how good of a game Bomberkids is. Bomberkids is an awesome game that deserves to be counted among the best assembly games out there, up in the ranks with Mario and Pyoro. Having multiplayer support for 4 players is quite an interesting experience.
The best part of this game is the linkplay, which is what it is advertised for. This actually happens to be my only reason for using link features other than actually transfering files. Unlike the many BASIC games where link doesn't work at all, or link crashes the calc, linkplay is handled incredibly well in this game. You don't have to start both calcs at the same time, in fact the other calculator doesn't even have to be running Bomberkids yet. And the best part is that if the link cable comes disconnected during link play, the game can actually be recovered if no one gives up and presses MODE. What's also nice is that if your friend doesn't have the game, you can simply send it to him, OR play with 2 people on one calc, no linking required.
Playing with 4 people is another experience in itself. I tried it once, with a few friends on the bus ride home, and it worked pretty well. However, I would recommend using two 84+'s when playing 3 or 4 player link, because it is quite hard to play with an 84+ vs. an 83+ connected by a stubby link cable over the back of a bus seat :).
Actual gameplay: The gameplay itself is rather intuitive, much like the Bomberman game on the SNES. However, the thing I miss the most is the traditional powerups. This game uses unorthodox powerups such as the Spade, Grabber, and Stunner, but not the traditional powerups Bomb Glove, Bomb Kick, and Remote Control, the latter I miss the most (it allows you to set off your bombs at will). The method of switching through your weapons was also a little weird, but we got used to it. Also, the Grabber was hard to figure out, but a Grabber in the wrong hands is a Grabber in winning hands.
The one thing I wish this game had was a CPU opponent. I understand that playing with 2 players is actually easier than creating an AI, but it is a little sad not being able to play by yourself. Sometimes I just turn on Bomberkids for the heck of it and play by myself, with 2P just sitting there in the bottom right corner, not doing a thing, and I feel a little depressed that I don't have a good fight.
But overall, Bomberkids deserves an 8/10. Download if you have friends who also are into the calculator gaming craze.
(Editor's note: Calculator gaming is not a fad.)
