I took my Micro out for a little field test Saturday. Unlike most of the other portable systems I own, I felt like I would likely be able to carry it around pretty easily without attracting undo notice or being uncomfortable. I was completely right.

I took my son, wife and father to an amusement park up in the mountains called Santa's Village, wearing the Micro on a tether around my neck.

I wasn't surprised that the Micro was easily light enough to forget about, but I was surprised that its presence, dangling on my chest, didn't attract any attention or second looks.

It's probably because it's easy to mistake the Micro for a cell phone or small digital camera.

The only time I took the Micro off was when I went down a three story slide with my son, for that ride I tucked the Micro in my pocket. The third time down (by this time my son was going solo, but I was "supervising") I realized that all of the centrifugal force of the ride was being applied to the Micro as I corkscrewed down the slide. Fortunately, this is one tough little mother. It didn't suffer even a scratch. One of the cool things about the switchable faceplate is that it includes a clear plastic film meant to protect the screen. So even if had gotten scratched up, I could have easily, and inexpensively replaced it.

Funny, I initially forgot to put the Micro back around my neck and started to panic while patting my pockets for the portable. I swore it was gone. It wasn't until I tucked my hand in among all of the flotsam of amusement parks that filled my pocket that I realized it was there being tiny.

It was a pretty bright day at the park, so at one point I stood in the sunniest place I could find and tried my hand at gaming. The screen did present a bunch of flares and glares, but the graphics seemed to still sizzle through the light. It was sort of a strange effect, and probably not the best situation, but the game was still very playable.

The systems boot-up time, which is close to zero, is excellent for waiting around play. I was able to hop into a game and play for five or ten minutes while waiting for my son to finish a ride with no problems at all.

Having spent most of the day playing Dynasty Warrior Advance on the Micro I think I can safely say that the small size was not a problem for me at all. My eyes didn't seem to experience any strain and my hands never felt cramped. That being said, I can see where games with a lot going on or detailed graphics may feel a little too crowded in the size the Micro presented.

Overall, this is definitely the best portable system I've ever played on when it comes to portability, ease of use and convenience. I'd hesitate to pay $100 for the Micro if I already owned a GBA SP, but once a price drop hits I'd still snatch one up. If this were my first GBA I'd buy it in a heartbeat at the price.

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