This review is based off actual play from years ago.
I was once a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh series and this game helped me better appreciate the game. There are some things in this game that didn't get carried over to other games, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. Stuff like elemental advantages, and fusion of monsters without a polymerization card. You face off against many adversaries ranging from Yugi, his friends Tristan and Joey, frenemies Mai and Mako, to more jerky duelists such as Esper Roba, Rex Raptor, Weevil, that arrogant jerk Seto Kaiba, to more darker adversaries such as Seeker, Priest Seto, and Pandora. You have to win 5 duels in order to advance to another opponent, which gets a little tiring after a while though acquiring new cards makes it worth it. The graphics do the job and the music is thankfully slightly varied depending on stage area. There's also a link battle as well. For a first Yu-Gi-Oh game this does the job right.