In other words, it's just like the SNES version of Contra III?

I also tried out Contra Advance, and while it seemed slightly tougher than its SNES ancestor, I credit that to the apparent lack of a bomb. In the original Contra III, you could avoid a lot of tight spots by using a screen-wiping pseudo-nuclear blast to clear away enemies and all but the smallest bullets. Contra Advance doesn't have that option, so many of the game's situations aren’t as easy to navigate.

Still, the game exudes the same type of well-designed shooter addiction that Contra III captured so well, and it was hard for me to put it down. If it weren't for the entirely new Contra: Shattered Soldier hitting at the same time, I would have already added Contra Advance to my collection.

And I've got to wonder about this "lackluster" Genesis version of Contra, because I'm sure that you couldn't be talking about Contra Hard Corps. Like a hybrid of Contra III and Gunstar Heroes, Hard Corps has superbly challenging level design, loads of weapon options, multiple paths and endings, and even a helping of personality --something that the series never really exhibited before. The American edition may be too difficult due to Konami's decision to yank the life bar, but that hardly keeps it from being an excellent addition to the Contra lineage.