The Game Boy Advance becomes your battle ground as knights, wizards and beasts wage war in Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis.

Best described as a prequel to Tactics Ogre 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, Tactics Ogre: The Knights of Lodis has been painstakingly crafted by the same team that worked on previous Tactics Ogre games. Series vets and newcomers alike can expect an engrossing story presented in a three-quarters view and a teeming array of amazons, warriors, magi, priests, beast masters, dragon tamers and more.

You take on the role of Galician knight Alphonse, who has been sent on a mission to investigate the powers-that-be of the Holy Lodis Empire and solve the mystery of Ovis.

You may recall the Ogre Battle strategy titles on both Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. The latest incarnation, published by Atlus, keeps the complex plots and strategy elements of the originals, but the battles unfold in a new way.

When a battle begins, you place as many as eight troops on a grid-based map. Controlling each character one-by-one, you start with movement and end with attacks. A skilled player will learn to use the individual strengths of each character to create strategic formations.

As with previous Ogre Battle titles, you can manage every aspect of your characters from equipment to character class. When you use a character in battle, they will gain levels and increase abilities.

When all is said and done, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis offers 40 hours of game play. And yes, for all you Ogre Battle veterans, there are multiple endings. If you dig details and prefer plan-and-plod over hack-and-slash, this tactical-strategy game is for you.

You can test your mettle against a human opponent in a head-to-head battle or trade items, spell books and characters. Two GBAs, a GBA Game Link cable and two Game Paks are required for multiplayer action.