They're somewhere between beloved pets and uncontrollable freaks, but these rambunctious monsters are back for more in Monster Rancher Advance 2.

As an aspiring new breeder on the monster-happy island called Age, your goal is to make a name for yourself among the best breeders in the world. Many tools in your hometown yield endless possibilities for breeding and training your very own monsters.

In the Shrine you can create new monsters using tablets. At the Age Island Monster Association (AGIMA), you can assign coaches for your monsters or accept expeditions that challenge you to explore ruins in search of new tablets. The Studio is where you can freeze monsters and store them for later use or combine two frozen ones to create an all-new monster.

The Ranch is where the real action happens. Here you can train and participate in tournaments. The many kinds of tournaments present ample challenge and make you stronger at the same time. You can also spar with another trainer one-on-one. Don't forget to give your monsters plenty of TLC, including rest.

As many as four players can battle. Battles involving three or four players follow a tag-team format. You can put items or money on the line. You can also trade items and monsters. Multiplayer action requires GBAs and Game Paks for every player and enough GBA Game Link cables to connect all systems.