Bomberman is now officially older than dirt. Since its initial debut in 1983, Bomberman has appeared in over 60 games in Hudson Soft's never-ending quest to milk the franchise for all its worth. As was usually the case, new variations seldom lived up to the charm of the original, as was evidenced by Bomberman Act Zero on the 360, unanimously considered the very worst game available for the platform. Yes, even worse than Pimp My Ride. So when it was revealed that Bomberman was going to make yet one more appearance, this time on Xbox Live Arcade, there was plenty of reason to be skeptical. Well, I have some excellent news: Bomberman Live is a return to glory and may very well be one of the best games available for download.

For those of you out of the loop, Bomberman is one of those simple-to-understand games that is difficult to master. It's a maze-based action game with the objective of blowing up your opposition by well-placed bombs, using the layout of a particular level to your advantage as you blast away blocks and reveal powerups and powerdowns that increase or decrease your capabilities. It's fast paced and hectic, requiring quick thinking and faster reflexes as you try to avoid the traps of your enemies as well as your own bombs.

Hudson Soft appear determined to make up for the debacle that was Bomberman Act Zero, as they've loaded this 800-point gem with tons of options that push it over the edge. You can tackle the game via local play, duking it out with up to seven AI controlled opponents or four human players via split-screen. Taking the action to Live allows you to play multiplayer with up to seven other bombers and it runs flawlessly with no sign of lag. You'll find several different modes on offer, including Normal, Paint Bomb, Zombie and Bombing Run. Paint Bomb mode finds you trying to claim tiles by bombing them in to your color while still avoiding the traps of the opposition, while Zombie mode is essentially the same, though this time you can't die, making it a chaotic dash to claim the most real estate. If the game isn't fast enough for you as is, you can dive in to Bombing Run that cranks up the speed considerably, perfect for those of you wired on caffeine.

In addition to the four main modes of play, there are several arenas that add fun variables to the mix, like Lost World which introduces the random placement of quicksand, Ghost Town which can fry you with fire traps, Big Top that allows players to kick bombs in a particular direction, Plunder Isle that loads the screen with powerups, Spaced Out that find you teleporting to random locations, and Blast that leaves craters from exploded bombs that impede your movement. With so many modes and arenas, there's a ton of value and replay in Bomberman Live that makes the 800-point entry fee a true bargain.

Hudson Soft have even gone the extra mile in allowing players to personalize their Bomberman by selecting three different components, including hat, face and body. There's even a ton of stuff to unlock as you play the game, ensuring copious amounts of unique-looking players will be gracing multiplayer slugfests. Speaking of online, there are twenty leaderboards on offer, covering everything from weekly scores, ranked and player matches, tournaments and all of the various game types on offer. To top it all off, Bomberman Live even supports the underused Live Vision camera, taking snapshots of the losers while the winner gets to enjoy a nice video stream on the final score screen, wherein you can gloat and make inappropriate hand gestures at your vanquished foes.

Bomberman Live is the most well-rounded and customizable game currently available on Xbox Live Arcade. The graphics are crisp, the animations fun and the options are many. It's so good, it even makes up for Bomberman Act Zero. Yes, it's THAT good. Easily the best action-based multiplayer game available and well worth the 800-points. Kudos, Hudson Soft.