Once you've been logged in, you'll get a brief introduction by Professor Willow, who'll give you an introduction to the game and walk you through catching your choice of the three starter pokémon: Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur.

But wait!! There's a hidden fourth option, too: Pikachu. To get a Pikachu, you just need a little patience. You have to ignore the first three Pokémon presented to you by Professor Willow and simply walk away. The three Pokémon will follow you around for a bit and then disappear before reappearing. Do this four times, and a Pikachu will eventually show up. Then you capture it. Catching Pikachu doesn't appear to have a strategic advantage, since you'll likely encounter stronger ones later on, but why miss an opportunity to hang out from the outset?

Pokémon Go is a bit different from earlier games in the series, because the Pokémon trainer-the little character you make at the beginning of the game-gains experience points to increase his or her level. In the original games, each Pokémon has its own experience points and level, but not so in Go.

There three basic parts to Pokémon Go:

1. Catching pokémon
2. Visiting pokéstops
3. Gym battles

There are two main reasons you want to get to a higher level:

1. As your level increases, you will encounter and be able to catchmore and stronger Pokémon.
2. Handy items get unlocked at certain levels. The Razz Berry, for example, which makes Pokémon easier to catch, is unlocked at level 8. Here's a list of all the ways you can gain experience points:

After the initial instructions, you're essentially left to your own devices, aside from a small tips section that mostly explains basic map icons.