Similar to the Rumble Pak, the Transfer Pak plugs right into the Memory Pak slot of the N64's controller. On the front side, you will find another slot, made for standard Game Boy cartridges. Although it may look like a Super Game Boy of sorts, the pak's primary function is to import Game Boy data into an N64 game.

What is all this good for? Well, Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color and N64 features cross-transfer features such as being able to transfer a character you created on the handheld and play it in 3D on the Nintendo 64. And let's say you own Pokemon Red, Blue or Yellow on the Game Boy, and the upcoming Pokemon Stadium on the N64. The monsters you have uncovered and trained in your Game Boy RPG can now be loaded into the 64-bit Pokemon game and you can view them in full 3D and have them battle it out.

So far, the coolest idea is being used for Nintendo's Talent Maker and Rare's Perfect Dark. With the help of the Transfer Pak, you can import photo data from a Game Boy camera and use it in games. Of course, the N64 titles have to support the Transfer feature for this to work.

The Transfer Pak was originally set to be released in late 1999 alongside the US Pokemon Stadium (Pokemon Stadium 2 in Japan), but due to the fact that Pokemon Stadium on the N64 has been delayed until March, the Transfer Pak has been delayed until early next year. The pak was first included with Pokemon Stadium when it shipped in Japan in summer '98, similar to the Star Fox/Rumble Pak pack-in.

The Japanese Transfer Pak is completely compatible with US Nintendo 64 systems and games that support the unit. Meaning if you purchase the Transfer Pak in Japan specifically for Mario Golf, as long as you use the US versions of Mario Golf on both systems, the Transfer Pak will work as it should.

While the Transfer Pak does NOT directly function as a Super Game Boy, some games programmed to use the pak offer the ability to play a simulated version of the Game Boy game. The American version of Pokemon Stadium will most likely retain this function when it comes out in the US next year.

To sum it all up, here's what the pak does:

• Import game data from a compatible Game Boy title.
• Save data from an N64 game to a compatible Game Boy game.
• Emulate the Game Boy game on N64 with the appropriate software support from the N64 cartridge.
• Let you import photo data into an N64 game via the Game Boy camera.

While most Nintendo 64 titles don't support it, the Transfer Pak's importance is not to be underestimated. Being able to use the Game Boy camera to virtually insert yourself into an N64 game is perhaps one of Nintendo's most ingenious ideas in recent years.

Thumbs up from us.