Dragon Tales on the GBC is one of those late-90s licensed games that actually holds up better than you'd expect. You start off in this little pixelated dragon village where everything’s bright and cartoony—like the TV show, but with that classic Game Boy Color washed-out charm. First thing you do? Pick your dragon buddy (I always went with the blue one) and suddenly you're flying around these short-but-sweet levels, collecting gems and dodging obstacles.

It’s got that simple-but-addictive thing going on where you keep saying "just one more level" even though the battery light’s been red for 20 minutes. The fire-breathing mechanic feels surprisingly good for a kid’s game—hold the button to charge up, release to toast enemies or melt ice blocks. Some of the later puzzles actually make you stop and think, which I wasn’t expecting from a Dragon Tales adaptation.

Honestly, it’s the kind of game you’d rent as a kid and end up playing way more than whatever big-name title you actually bought that weekend. Still holds up if you’re into that era of handheld games.