Gameplay is very much like a full-blown version of the original Tamagotchi-style Digimon virtual pet toy. Monster-rearing is the name of the game, and the story is as follows: Certain Digimon (digital monsters) have left File City and scattered themselves across File Island, and some of them have lost their ability to speak. Players take on the role of a talented young boy who finds Digimon, raises and trains them, and attempts to return them to the City. Digimon start off as innocent babies and over time, they grow and "digivolve" into bigger and better digital monsters. This Digivolution depends very much on how a player raises his Digimon. Proper training can ultimately transform an innocent baby Digimon into a champion Digimon, or even a super-aggressive and destrucive Ultimate Digimon.

Raising a Digimon basically entails training him, praising and scolding him, making sure he rests up, eats, and goes potty. And yes, poop, along with all the appropriate (?) sound effects, is a big feature of the game. Digimon communicate via iconic thought balloons and players refer to various parameters and gauges in order to check up on their Digimon’s status. Gauges show the conditions of Happiness, Discipline, Life, and Virus, and players must pay attention to these in order to succeed at monster-raising. It’s important to keep the Happiness meter high, for example, but too high can result in a rather selfish monster. Players must temper this with appropriate discipline in the form of scolding and praising, but though a certain amount of discipline is desirable, an overly obedient Digimon will live a shorter life span. When Digimon inevitably meet up with other Digimon roaming the fields, a battle may ensue. The MP (Magic Points) parameter allows Digimon to use various Techniques in battle, and the offensive, defensive, speed, and brains parameters are important as well. During battles, players send instructions to their Digimon using various Battle Icons, though for the most part their input is minimal.

Yes, Digimon can effectively die – they fade away when they lose too many Life points. If a Digimon fades away at the end of a normal life span, it will give birth to a good Digitama who inherits all the Digimon’s techniques. When a Digimon fades away due to sickness or inappropriate care, the resulting Digitama will not inherit the Digimon’s abilities.

Players can win medals, and buy and collect Digimon cards. Over time, they breathe life back into File City by returning Digimon. Shops signify a City that is beginning to flourish, and an Arena emerges where tournaments between battling Digimon can take place.

Kids can battle the Digimon they raised with their friends’ monsters using the data saved in a Memory Card. These battles are essentially the same as Arena tournaments, but in multi-player mode.

Pros & Cons
This title is rated Teen and though younger kids will no doubt want to own the game, note that Digimon World is distinctly different than the cartoon and won’t have the same appeal for the pre-teen set. It lacks the color and pizzazz of Pokemon Stadium, for example. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its own special draw – kid testers loved the game, and most kids who enjoy virtual pets will find it engrossing. Digimon World has enough content to warrant a purchase, though a rental will probably suffice for kids who tire of virtual pet-raising easily.