For every busty woman in a fighter there should be a slight, bright female heroine like Jill in GameFreak's (the Pokemon developers) platformer Drill Dozer. The gameplay in Drill Dozer is typical if the company you're including in that definition includes superb 2D action games like the NES Mega Man titles crossed with the platforming functionality of Bionic Commando. To some gamers the aforementioned are probably relics they've never gotten their hands on - to others the comparisons will ring true.

The Drill Dozer is Jill's mode of transportation, method of inflicting punishment on her foes and puzzle solving mechanism. The bit can be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise via the GBA or DS's shoulder buttons and is used to solve some of game's puzzles. The cute art style reinforces the very Mega Man feeling, coupled with all of the technical whodads and whatzits in the background. In addition to buying upgrades to your Dozer's arsenal, extra stages are available in the game to buy - however, you may catch yourself revisiting some stages to farm cash for them.

When I first got my hands on Drill Dozer late last year, it was a smart, well-thought out 2D platformer - something gaming could always use more of. The game fares the same at retail as it did in the build I played late last year. It's a fun little title with plenty of action crammed into a small, compact, cohesive adventure.

Pricing for Drill Dozer [Amazon]