"Who would of ever thought Donkey Kong could do something else besides beat up on alligators?"

Well, with Rareware gone, who's gonna be handling Donkey Kong's games? Well, Nintendo was too busy, so Nintendo got Namco to pick it up, except it wasn't gonna be like Rare's past Donkey Kong games. Instead, they've based it off of their very own Taiko Drum Master game, which is a peripheral based game that uses drums. Slap on Donkey Kong's pretty face over the license, and we've got Donkey Konga! While the game is lacking modes, it has so much replay value that it'll last you for months to come. It's just that addictive.

Those familiar with rhythm games will quickly recognize how Donkey Konga works. A series of different notes will fly across the screen, all colour coded with either red, yellow, blue or purple. These notes will eventually reach a certain area on the screen that I like to call the safe zone, which informs the gamer to perform the action given by the note. The red advises for a left conga hit, the yellow for a right, purple for both and blue for clap (Yes, you actually clap, but more on that later). The gameplay seems pretty simplistic at first, but thanks to the later difficulties, gamers will find a lot to look forward to here. Monkey, the easiest mode in the game has gamers hitting notes at random times without any sense of rhythm or challenge, but the medium difficulty Chimp gives more of that sense. Those that have mastered Chimp should move on to Gorilla, obviously the hardest mode, which is at first quite difficult to even comprehend to, but with some practice, it becomes much more rewarding and enjoyable. You'll be impressed with how some of the notes accurately match with the song's rhythm.

Some other modes that I highly doubt anyone would have the patience to master is the Jam! modes. It's pretty much the same thing as the monkey, chimp and gorilla challenges, except without the colour coded barrels! Without any coloured barrels, it makes it almost impossible to distinguish between each note. So unless you have the attention span of an ocean, mesmerizing every single song and playing them perfectly should occupy a large chunk of your life. Showing off to your friends wouldn't be a bad idea either, or they could befriend you by thinking how little of a life you have mastering such a mode.

As for clapping, a sound sensor has been added between the two conga drums that is very sensitive to any type of sound. Namco ideally wanted the gamers playing it to clap, but people had already found alternate ways of making the clap note active. A tap on the side of the bongos gives enough sound to trigger the clap command, and even saying "clap" near the sensor works. Though actual clapping gives you more of that momentum sense. Though for roll on notes, it's rather frustrating. A roll on note is when the note is extended. On roll on notes, you should constantly hit the note until the note finally ends. You can quickly see the problem when you'll have to clap for literally a full ten seconds.

Playing the game is pretty fun, and those seeking to take Donkey Konga into the next level will have a great time. Your performance is judged by how accurately and precisely you've hit each conga within the safe zone. If the note was within the safe zone entirely, you'll receive a good sign that will accumulate you more points than an OK sign would, which is given because the note wasn't entirely within the zone. The bad sign will show when the note was less than half way covered in the zone, and points will not be rewarded. Another great challenging task that you would find enjoyable is having the longest combo. Combos are how long you've gone without making a single mistake. Very very pressuring, especially when the faster upbeat songs intimidates you to mess up. Though if you've learned to master those songs, it then becomes a much much more rewarding experience that compels you to only do better.

The key feature that makes a rhythm game what it is, is the actual music! The music here in Donkey Konga contains a wide variety of different songs that fit different tastes. Some say this might be a good thing, but a lot of them are rather outdated, old (I have nothing against classics....) and unknown. And with only 33 songs, you sometimes think the song selection is TOO varied. Personally I found only five songs I liked within the entire game, but later on you wouldn't mind, because the challenge that song each brings to the game is worth listening to entirely (except for bingo). From Mozart's Turkish March to the Pokemon theme to the well known We Will Rock you, you'll surely find at least one song you'll like.

Just about anyone of any age and skill is capable of playing Donkey Konga, and it's without a doubt that those that will play it will quickly be engrossed to the addictive gameplay, lasting them for months to come. Just giving something as small as a glimpse of those bongos makes you want to play the game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/04, Updated 01/23/05