The game starts off in your (Ash's) house. Go downstairs and say good-bye to your mom before heading out to capture Pokemon. You can leave town by going north, but first visit Gary's house (your Rival), then Professor Oak's lab. The Prof. isn't in, so being to walk up the northern path. Before you can enter the grassy fields, Prof. Oak will run up and stop you from going in. He will tell you that there are wild Pokemon that could attack, then he will escort you back to his lab. There, he will let you and Gary choose among three of his Pokemon. After you pick a Pokemon, Gary will challenge you to your first match.

Your first battle will be a heated one, especially if you choose Bulbasaur. If you win, you'll get a couple of bucks, but if you lose, your Pokemon will faint and Gary will take all the bragging rights. Take your fainted Pokemon home to your mom for medical treatment, then head out of town into the wild.

On your first journey into Route 1, you won't be able to capture any Pokemon. You can only fight for experience. You can't purchase any Pokeballs until you deliver the package to Prof. Oak. Wild Pokemon tend to live in grassy areas, so avoid tall grass if your Pokemon is weak. Head north to reach Viridian City. You may also bump into other Pokemon trainers. Some may only want to give you sage advice, but others may want to fight!

Viridian City is only slightly bigger than Pallet Town, with it's own Pokemon Centre, Pokemon Mart, and a Gym. The Gym is usually a busy hangout for Pokemon Trainers all over, but this one is closed (for now). The friendly citizens will gladly help you out with any questions you have. Drop by the Pokemon Centre to heal your Pokemon, then head towards the Pokemon Mart. Once inside, the clerk will ask you to take a package to Prof. Oak. Run back to Pallet Town and deliver the package to get a Pokedex. As long as you're in Pallet Town, drop by Gary's house and get a map from his sister. When you return to Viridian City, stock up on Pokeballs and return to Route 1 to capture a few Pokemon. If you continue on to Route 2, buy a couple of Antidotes to cure any Poison attacks you will encounter.

On your way north, you will see items on the other side of the trees, but you won't be able to reach them (not yet). Route 2 has a few Pokemon and trainers to worry about, but you should worry about the forest ahead.

There are lots of trainers hanging around in the forest, so be sure to have at least three Pokemon in your possession. As you wander around the forest, you will find items misplaced by other trainers. You will also find, if you're lucky, a Pikachu. If you capture one, it can be helpful later on, especially if you don't have Bulbasaur.

Pewter City is much bigger than Viridian City, and it has a Pokemon museum as well. The museum has several interesting exhibits, but you won't understand their meaning until later in the game. Talk to the townsfolk to learn more about the surrounding land, then head towards the gym to do battle with Brock, the Gym Leader.

You must first battle Jr. Trainer before you can take on Brock. The Jr. Trainer has a Diglett and a Sandshrew.

V's Brock. Squint-eyed Brock will challenge you when you first meet him. He controls a Geodude and an Onix, both powerful Rock Pokemon. Bulbasaur or Squirtle will fare the best against the enemy. If you don't have either of them, a Level 16 Pikachu will have to do.

The pathway to Mt. Moon is infested with Pokemon Trainers, all looking for a fight. Try to have plenty of Pokemon with you to handle anything thrown at you. A Pokemon Center will be conveniently neat the mountain entrance, giving you a chance to heal your battered Pokemon.

Mt. Moon is the breeding ground for Zubats, a poison/flying Pokemon that only come out in the darkness. They tend to swoop down from the ceiling when you least expect it. If you have a Pikachu, put him ahead of the pack, because its Thunder Shock will take down the Zubats with one hit. Plenty of trainers are down here as well, trying to find rare Geodudes, but they will take time out to challenge you. You will also encounter Team Rocket for the first time. They are mining out minerals from Mt. Moon. Since they are expert Pokemon Trainers, you should be very cautious when confronting them. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, use the Escape Rope to get out of the cave immediately. You will also find lots of items on the cavern floor.

You will find a few trainers and Pokemon on the path to Cerulean City. It won't be too bad to find a TM dropped along the path as well. Keep in mind that once you jump over the barrier, you won't be able to get back over.

If you want a faster way to travel, the Bike Shop has just the thing for you...for the low cost of only...1,000,000$? You will also find a house that has been ransacked by Team Rocket, but you won't be able to enter until after you defeat Misty and cure Bill (on Route 25).

Misty is the leader of the Cerulean Gym, and she loves water Pokemon. You can tell because she has converted the Gym into a pool! Two other Trainers will challenge you before you can take on Misty, but Pikachu or Bulbasaur can blow them out of the water.

Vs. Misty Swimsuit clad Misty likes to swim, but she simply loves to battle. She packs Water Pokemon, a Staryu and a Starmie. If you have Bulbasaur or Pikachu, you will win this battle fairly quickly. Misty, rather impressed, will give you her Cascade Badge and a TM 11 for a job well done.

After you defeat Misty, the path to the north will open up. But before you can go very far, Gary will show up once again to make trouble.

Vs Gary. Gary has added three Pokemon to his arsenal, an Abra, a Rattata, and a Pidgeotto. A heavily built up Pikachu or Bulbasaur (which should have evolved to an Ivysaur by now) has the best chance. Defeat Gary to send him off in a fit.

As you continue onto the bridge, six members of Team Rocket will challenge you. Their Pokemon are tough, so return to the Pokemon Center after each battle to heal your monsters. When you defeat all six, you will get a valuable Nugget as a reward. Sell it off to get 5000$. Continue to the east where you will find even more Pokemon Trainers. Once you get past them, you will find the Sea Cottage.

Bill the Pokemaniac Poor Bill has turned himself into a Pokemon! If you help him out, Bill will give you a ticket to board the S.S. Anne, a cruiseship for only the best Pokemon Trainers!

After you help out Bill, return to Cerulean City and visit the house that was robbed. Head into the backyard and confront the Team Rocket Member. Defeat him to get a TM 28. Use it's DIG ability to immediately escape from dungeons. Continue down to the south. Routes 5 holds some rare Pokemon, such as Meowth or Mankey. You will also find a Pokemon daycare.

The man here runs a daycare, and will raise one of your Pokemon for a 100$ per level charge. Drop off a young Pokemon and don't forget to drop by later.

The road ahead is under construction and the guard won't let you go ahead. He will mention that he is thirsty. Perhaps you can bribe your way past him with a cool beverage...

This path will bring you to Vermilion City. The pathway has many hidden items, but you need the Item Finder to detect them. You get the item finder later on in the game. On the other end of the tunnel, a kid will want to trade his Nidoran Male for a Nidoran Female.

Vermilion City is a huge port town, always busy with activity. It's even more hectic today, because the great Pokemon trainer luxury liner is docked at the bay! Aboard are the best trainers in the world! Old Man's House Talk to the old man to hear his tales of the sea. He will give you the Old Rod for your time.

Little Kid's House This little kid has raised a Farfetch'd from an egg, but sadly it has grown to big for him. He will trade you the bird for a common Spearow.

Pokemon Fan Club The long winded chairman will give a big speech about Pokemon. Stick around long enough for the whole speech and he will give you a Bike Voucher, good for a free Bike back in Cerulean City!

The exclusive ship is for only the most prestigious trainers. Flash the Ticket you got from Bill and step aboard! The word on the ship is that the Captain is seasick, and the ship can't leave port until he is well. Once aboard the ship, be sure to enter every cabin to search for items. However, some passengers won't be so pleased about being barged in on! The passengers mostly carry Water Pokemon, so put Pikachu at the head of the party. To gain the most experience possible, fight all the trainers aboard before you see the Captain.

Vs. Gary How did Gary hook passage on this ship? Before you can ask, Gary is using a fake French accent and tossing Poke-balls at you. Slap the fake accent out of his mouth and continue on to the captain.

The Captain is suffering from seasickness and the ship can't launch until he feels better. Help out the captain and he will be so grateful, he will reward you with a Hidden Machine, which teaches the CUT ability! After you help the captain, keep in mind that once you step off the ship, it will leave port for the open sea.

The leader of the gym is Lt. Surge, and he is a paranoid trainer. To reach him, you must find two secret switches in the trash cans. He also has three other trainers, who will attack with electric Pokemon.

Vs. Lt. Surge Lt. Surge likes to use Electric Pokemon. He gets a real jolt out of them. Puns aside, a built up Ivysaur or Geodude is your best bet. The Lt. uses Voltorb, Pikachu and Raichu in this battle. Once you defeat him, he will give you the Thunder Badge and the TM24.

After defeating Lt. Surge, the path to the east will open and you will be able to proceed to Route 11. As you wander on the sidewalk's, you will be challenged by no fewer than ten trainers, each with up to four Lv. 20 Pokemon. The wild Pokemon found here are not very strong, but they possess the power to make your monsters fall asleep! When you enter the toll gate, you'll be warned that the road is blocked ahead by a sleeping Snorlax! As long as you're here, you may as well go up into the observing tower. If you have 30 Pokemon, you will get an Item finder from Prof. Oak's aide!

Since Route 12 is blocked off, you will have to take a detour to Lavender Town. Return to the entrance to Route 11 and enter the cave opening. This is also the only place you will find Diglett and Dugtrio. They aren't terribly powerful, but there's a lot of them. You will emerge back on Route 2, on the other side of Vermilion Forest, where you couldn't go before. Go south to collect the items that you couldn't reach before. Inside the observing tower, Prof. Oak's aide awaits to give you the FLASH HM... as long as you have 15 Pokemon! You'll need it to enter Rock Tunnel.

Return to Cerulean City and chop down the bush blocking the path to the east. Beyond the comforts of Misty's hometown are ten riled up trainers and a TM. The TM is just below the entrance to Route 9. The trainers are tough, but fortunately, there is a Poke-Center near the entrance to Rock Tunnel.

You must have the FLASH ability to make your way through this dark cavern. Though it's not nearly as confusing as Mt. Moon, you still have your work cut out for you in Rock Tunnel. This cave is mostly about endurance. Dangerous Machops and Onix's will constantly try to grind your monsters into gravel and Zubats swoop down to take a bite out of smaller victims. If that weren't enough, over 15 trainers await to challenge you. Most trainers will have Rock-Type Pokemon, so put a Plant Pokemon at the head of your group. Be sure to bring along a Diglett with the DIG ability. If you find yourself low on life out of battle, you can use the DIG ability to escape the cave. This works in any cave or building. Once you find the exit, you still have to get past a few more trainers before you reach Lavender Town.

Lavender Town is known as the resting place for deceased Pokemon. Pokemon Tower is a huge monument built for mourning trainers, but lately the spirits have been restless and reports of ghosts have increased. You can explore the tower, but you won't get far without a Sliph Scope, which can identify ghosts. The word on the street is that there is a Sliph Scope in Celadon City, so you'll need to check out that lead before you explore the tower.

Name Change A friendly, retired Pokemon trainer has an odd job...he can change the name of your Pokemon for free. Keep in mind you can't change the names of traded Pokemon.

Pokemon Volunteer Center This house is home to abandoned Pokemon, usually Pokemon that Team Rocket has abandoned because the monsters have nothing special about them. The leader of the center, Mr. Fuji, is missing. You won't solve this mystery until you find the Sliph Scope, so press on to Route 7

Take the west path and follow the sidewalk. More trainers await you here. The gateway is blocked yet again, so take the underground path the Celadon City. Celadon City

The sister city of Saffron is huge, mostly due to the very popular Game Corner, a casino that gives Pokemon away as prized. Despite happy customers, a dark cloud of doubt is hanging over the Celadon citizens heads, because it is rumoured that Team Rocket is operating the Game Corner. Celadon Mansion There is a huge mansion in Celadon, but coming in the front entrance doesn't reveal much. Go around the back and cut down the bush behind the building. You will enter a secret back door! Follow the stairs to find cool hidden treats, including the Pokemon programmers! You will also find the rare Pokemon Eevee on the top floor.

Celadon Diner Talk to the people in the diner to hear their woes about losing it all at the Game Corner. Talk to the man in the corner to receive a Coin Case, which holds Game Corner Tokens.

Slots and Exchange The slot machines and the Exchange Corner are next door to each other. Play the slots to earn Tokens, which you can exchange for Pokemon or TM's. There are M's 23, 15, and 50 in both versions of the game. The Pokemon you can win vary in the versions. In Red you will find Abra, Clefairy, Nidoran, Dratini, Scyther, and Porygon. In Blue you will find Abra, Clefairy, Nidorino, Pinsir, Dratini and Porygon.

Celadon Gym To get to the gym, cut down the bush in front of the diner and follow the path. You may want to build up your Pokemon in the Game Corner first. Come back later.

Celadon Department Store This huge store has almost everything! Talk to all the cashiers to see what they have or to get a free sample.

Rooftop Cafe An annoying little girl on the roof keeps asking for a drink. Get a nice cool one out of the vending machines and give it to her. Give her some water, followed by soda pop and lemonade, and she'll give you M's 13, 48 & 49. As long as you're up here, why not get some water for those poor parched Gate Guards.

Ah, the happy sounds of the Game Corner. The endless clinkering of tokens and the rumble of the slots. A place where dreams are made...and crushed. Everyone is having fun, but you suspect that mysterious figure in the back of the room. Confront him and defeat his Pokemon and he'll run into a secret passage that will slam shut in your face! Check out the poster the man was standing by and lift it up. You will find a switch that opens up the passage leading to the basement! Team Rocket members are around every corner below the casino, armed to the teeth with Pokemon! Along the way you will encounter conveyer belts, but they are easy to figure out. You need to defeat Rocket members to open certain doors and to get the Lift Key in the upper left corner of F4B. Once you have the lift key, ride down the lift to face the mastermind behind all this!

V's Giovanni. Giovanni was greedily counting his profits when you came storming in. Giovanni would take pleasure in booting you out of his office with his Lv. 29 Onix, Rhyhorn and Kangaskhan. Hopefully, your Ivysaur has evolved into a Venusaur by now, which will be perfect against them. After you defeat Giovanni, he will warn you not to mess with him again and then disappear. He will leave behind the Silph Scope, which is what you need to see the Ghost Pokemon in the Pokemon Tower!

This girls-only gym has everything, including a Peeping Tom sneaking around outside. There are seven other trainers, and despite quoting the Spice Girls, are formable opponents. To gain the most experience, fight them all before you face Erika, because they won't fight once you defeat their leader.

Vs. Erika Erika is actually a very peaceful trainer, but her Pokemon are fearsome. She has a Lv. 25-30 Victreebel, Tangela, and Vilepume at her command, so you should use a Lv. 30 or above Flying Pokemon, like Farfetch'd. Once you defeat Erika, she will wish you well and present you with both the Rainbow Badge and the TM 21. The Rainbow Badge allows you to use STRENGTH anytime outside of battle.

Now that you have the Silph Scope, you can identify the ghosts in Pokemon Tower and even capture them! Before you get too far into the tower though, Gary will show up again!

V's Gary. Gary is back and packing five powerful Pokemon! All of them are around Level 23. He has Pidgeotto, Gyrados, Growlithe, Kadabra and his start Pokemon. Kick them all out of the tower and continue going up.

Along the way to the top you will run into many Channelers, who usually give guidance to grieving trainers. Today, however, they are possessed by Pokemon spirits. They almost always send out a Gastly. Teach Farfetch'd the FLY ability and use that against the ghosts, but be sure Farfetch'd is Level 35 or above. Once you defeat the spirit, the Channeler will return to normal. You will find a special Heal Zone on the fifth floor that will completely revive your monsters. When you finally reach the seventh floor, you will find three Team Rocket members holding poor Mr. Fuji prisoner! Kick 'em out of the way and save Mr. Fuji. To show his thanks, Mr. Fuji will bring you back to his house and give you the Poke Flute, which can wake up sleeping Pokemon.

After giving a bottle of water to the guards, you will finally be able to enter Saffron City. You will quickly find that Team Rocket has most of the town under their control, and you can't do much until you kick them out. Before you enter Silph Co., where Team Rocket has set up shop, you should visit both the Pokemon Center and Pokemon Mart.

You'll notice a guard standing watch by the entrance to Silph Co. If you've kicked Team Rocket out of the Game Corner and Pokemon Tower, you'll be able to sneak past him and enter the skyscraper.

Silph Co. is famous for its advancements in Pokemon capturing technology. You will find special Warp Tiles, which can send you instantly to another part of the building. You will also find locked security doors, that can only be unlocked with a master Card Key. You can find one on the south edge of the fifth floor.

Along with the standard Team Rocket trainers, you will also encounter disgruntled Silph Scientists, who wield Electric and Poison Pokemon. Team Rocket will mostly field Zubats and Cubone's here. There are around 25 Scientists and Rocket members between you and the captive president of Silph Co. If you want to end this quickly, use the elevator to go to the fifth floor, grab the key and then go down to the third floor, stepping on Tile Y. Follow the next tile to reach the president's office. If you want the most experience for your Pokemon, take your time and seek out every trainer and duke it out.

Once you've taken out every trainer you can find, return to the third floor and step on Warp Tile Y. You're almost to the presidential office where the Silph president is being held by Team Rocket! But before you get there, an annoying voice challenges you once again.

V's Gary. Gary shows up, as usual, at the worst possible time. His Pokemon are more powerful that ever, and they're all in the Level 35-40 range. Along with his first Pokemon, he has a Pidgeot, Exeggcute, Gyrados, and an Alakazam. Venusaur or Raichu are the perfect team to take on Gary. Prize Pokemon Once you defeat Gary, speak to the Silph employee standing nearby. He will give you a Lapras, which is very rare indeed!

Step on Warp Tile Z to zip over to the presidential office. Once again, all the chaos is being caused by Giovanni. Giovanni will threaten to take care of you for good, but you know you can beat this windbag, right?

Vs. Giovanni This time, Giovanni will send out a Nidorino, Rhyhorn, Kangaskhan and a Nidoqueen. A Level 40 or above Venusaur or Farfetch'd should make this a short fight. Once you defeat Giovanni, he will scamper off. Talk to the Silph Co. President to receive his eternal thanks and the Master Ball. It's a prototype, so there's only one like it in the world. Save it for something very special...

Now that you've run Team Rocket out of town, you and the rest of the Saffron citizens can walk freely in the streets. Be sure to check all the places that were blocked before.

Mr. Psychic's House Mr. Psychic has an amazing ability. He can guess which TM you're thinking about...as long as you're thinking about TM 29. Perhaps he's not so amazing after all.

Copycat's House A small girl nicknamed 'Copycat' that lives here loves to mimic people. This strange habit has caused her to become isolated from the other children. Her only friends are her stuffed Pokemon. If you give her a Poke-Doll, she will give you a TM 31 in return. Maybe now she can relate normally to people!

Fighting Dojo This is a special gym, only for Fighting Pokemon and their trainers. Defeat the five Blackbelts inside and you will be able to choose a prize between a Hitmonlee and a Hitmonchan. Either one would be a terrific addition to your team.

This gym is headed by Sabrina, who specialises in Psychic Pokemon. Her gym is full of Psychists and Channelers. The Psychists command Psychic Pokemon (naturally) and Channelers field Ghost Pokemon. To get to Sabrina, you'll need to use the Warp Tiles. In each room there are four. Step on the tile above or below you in each room to eventually reach Sabrina. There is a trainer in every room, and you can avoid fighting them, but you really need all the experience you can get.

Vs. Sabrina Sabrina isn't a teenage witch, but she's close. Sabrina will send out Kadabra, Mr. Mime, Venomoth and Alakazam, all in the Level 40 range. While a built up Raichu and Ghost Pokemon can make quick work of the first three, the real challenge is Alakazam. Sabrina will think nothing of using Hyper Potions or other cures on Alakazam, making this a long battle. Once you defeat Sabrina, she will give you the Marsh Badge, which insures all your Pokemon up to Level 70 will obey you.

Now that Saffron's safe, return to Lavender Town and head south to Route 12. You'll find plenty of open ocean, perfect for fishing! You'll run into plenty of Fishermen trainers, but any grass or electric Pokemon can dispatch them. About halfway down you will run into a snoring Snorlax blocking the road. Use the Poke-Flute to wake him. He will attack, but you can take care of him easily. Since this is one of only two times you'll see Snorlax, you really should try to catch him.

Route 13 is like a maze, but it's nothing you can't handle. The biggest problem here is the number of trainers lurking about. Bird Trainers will send in Flying Pokemon, while Beauties will often use Plant Pokemon. You will also find Ditto, a very hard to capture Pokemon. Using Sleep and Ultra Balls often increase your chances.

Much like Route 13, you will find Bird Trainers and Beauties lurking about, as well as Bikers, who use Poison Pokemon.

Fuchsia City is home of the fabulous Safari Zone, a wildlife amusement park. The town is like a jungle as well, so be sure to bring a Pokemon with the CUT ability to hack past the many bushes.

Fishing Guru's Oldest Brother The old man in this shack is the brother of the old man you go the Old Rod from. He will give you a Good Rod, which you can test out in the pond in his backyard.

Safari Zone Warden The old warden has misplaced his teeth in the Safari Zone, and no body in town can understand him! You'll find his lost choppers in Area 3 of the Safari Zone. Return them and he will reward you with the HM 04, which teaches Strength. Teach it to a Pokemon so you can lift, say, that large rock in the warden's house.

This gym is run by Koga, a Ninja trainer, and he has protected himself with invisible wall and a squad of trainers. Jugglers send out Psychic Pokemon and Tamers will field Ground Pokemon. Feel your way past the invisible maze to reach Koga.

Koga calls himself the great ninja trainer, but he doesn't control Fighting Pokemon as expected. Instead, he controls Poison Pokemon, two Koffings, a Muk and a Weezing, all at the Level 37-43 range. Send out the best Ground or Psychic Pokemon you have. Once you defeat Koga, you will receive the Soul Badge, which increases the Defence of all your Pokemon. It also allows you to SURF out of battle.

The Safari Zone is a special Pokemon wildlife park that allows you to catch rare Pokemon! Fork over 500$ for entry and 30 Safari Balls. You will be called back to the entrance when you run out of time, or Safari Balls. Keep in mind that the timer runs only as long as you're moving. If you want to catch Pokemon, lure them to you with Bait and then toss Rocks at them. If they get angry, toss some Safari Balls to capture them. Keep in mind that some Pokemon are more common than others in different areas of the zone.

Rest Houses You will find fellow trainers here, and they will give you advice about capturing Safari Zone Pokemon. Keep in mind that the timer is still ticking inside these houses.

Secret House There is a secret house in Area 3 that has a special prize for the trainer that reaches it first. The prize is the HM 03, which teaches the SURF move to Pokemon.

Now that you've defeated Koga and caught bunches of Pokemon in the Safari Zone, you should work out on the Cycling Road, an extreme mountain bike trail. You have to constantly press Up as you pedal up the slope if you ever want to make it to the top.

Fuchsia City Observing Tower Before you take on the trail, go up into the observing tower to talk to Prof. Oak's Aide. If you've collected 50 kinds of Pokemon, he will give you the Exp. All, which divides battle experience among all the Pokemon in your party, even those who didn't fight.

Cycling Road You'll find lots of tough Bikers and Cueballs along this route, who wield Poison and Fighting Pokemon. The slope on this hill is so steep, if you release the Control Pad, you'll go rolling back down. Press A or B to put on the brakes and stay in one spot.

Recluse Trainer's House After you exit the Celadon City Observing Tower, cut the bush above the path and follow the road to a secret house. The girl inside will give you the FLY HM if you promise to keep her hiding spot secret. Now you can revisit any city you've visited before in seconds!

The Power Plant usually supplies power to the entire land, but today its grounds are empty. That's because the rare Pokemon Zapdos has made roost here and scared off the workers! Without power, no one can operate such important things as blenders and SNES's! To make matters worse, all sorts of wild Electric Pokemon have moved in and will attack anyone who dares enter! Your only hope to survive is to enter with a team of Rock or Ground based Pokemon. The entire plant is like a maze, but there is only one main path. You will find lots of items on the floor, but many are actually Voltorbs!

Zapdos - Zapdos is one of the three rare Pokemon Birds and you only have one chance to catch it! Zapdos is at Level 50, and it is very powerful. Some of its attacks can take down a Pokemon instantly. Level 60 and above Rock or Ground Pokemon are your best bets. Wear the bird down and toss Ultra Balls to capture it! Putting it to sleep will definitely improve your chances.