Bakugan is similar to Pokeman in that it is sort of a trading card game. But it is much more because of the Bakugan themselves which are tiny spheres that actually open up and reveal the battling characters within.

This game is simple and yet complex. To begin play each player gets three characters, three gate cards, and three ability cards. Players place a gate card face down on the ground. There is a special rule where the youngest player gets to have the first turn. The player will roll his Bakugan onto the gate cards.

The sphere that he rolls contains a magnet and the gate cards contain metal that when the contact is just right causes the ball to activate and reveal a creature inside. If the player rolls and doesn't land on a card then the game continues.

The objective of the game is to collect three gate cards. You can win gate cards in battle or by getting your creature to open up on the same gate card while your other creature is open on another card. After a card is won you move your card and creatures to the used pile. Although they can be reused once all the other ones have been played.

The most exciting way to win a gate card is to have a battle. That is the whole purpose of the game. If you have a Bakugan on a gate card and your opponent gets a Bakugan on the same gate card then a battle begins. To battle you need to turn over that gate card and follow the instructions on it.

Each character has specific strengths and abilities depending on which world they are from and what the attributes on the gate card are. You can also enhance your score by playing ability cards which helps with the overall strategy of the game. After the cards are played the character with the highest power level wins the card.

With all of the different players and worlds and cards and rules this game seems really complex. But after a few minutes of play it all starts to make sense. Also watching the popular anime cartoon will help shed some light on the process. Oh, and it's entertaining too.