Our lucky Japanese cousins got hold of their Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver games on 12 September, so Pokémon World was quick to grab a copy from Japan to see what all the fuss is about! So, are you ready to return to New Bark Town to see what a lick of paint has done for the place?

If you have never played Pokémon Gold or Silver, then you’re in for a real treat with  these two adventures as everything will be new to you! They are, in essence, the original games given a new look and spruce-up, adding in all the technical developments that the invention of the DS and the fourth generation of games (Diamond, Pearl and Platinum) have brought to Pokémon adventures. But, if you have played the Game Boy Color originals, what can you expect to get excited about?

Well, both games take us back to the land of Johto, starting the adventure in New Bark Town, but unlike the originals, these games have more Pokémon hiding away inside! You can link up with Diamond, Pearl or Platinum to fill your Pokédex with Pokémon not originally available in Johto. There’s a redesigned PokéGear to help you find them, too, with a range of skins you can choose to suit your mood!

All of the music in the games has been re-created to use the DS’s superior sounds to the GBC, but if you liked the plink-plonk of the Game Boy music there’s even a key item you can find that allows you to switch back to the good old days sounds! There are more remixes and battle music to hear, too – Ho-Oh and Lugia have their own themes, for example. Then there are new sound effects that play as you explore – running water or rustling grass, that kind of thing.

For those Poké Ball experts among you, you’ll be interested to learn that a guy called Kurt is back in these games. He makes his own seven types of custom Poké Ball out of the Apricorn fruit found in Johto. These can be used in a similar way to Poké Balls, and can now be carried by the player in a special bag called the Apricorn Case.

When it comes to taking on the Gym Leaders and Elite Four, you can look forward to new animated sprites for all, and some great battle intros that weren’t in the original games. You’ll find that some of the Gyms have had an overhaul, too, with new puzzles to solve along the way.

It’s good to see the Magnet Train making a comeback, too. In the original games this was the fastest way to travel between Goldenrod City and Saffron City. It can reach speeds of 340 miles per hour and runs 24 hours a day! Well now it has also been elevated above the ground to look more like a monorail, and there are some really neat 3D graphics to go along with it. Very impressive!

So what’s the coolest thing you will see in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver? Well for many readers on the forum (www.pokemon-world.co.uk/forum) it is the simple fact that your top Pokémon will follow you around in the game. All 493 Pokémon are capable of following you, similar to the way Pikachu did way back in Pokémon Yellow, and it’s just really great to see them wandering around the towns and cities, rather than just popping up in battle. Roll on spring 2010 when the UK version comes out!