"Get on the dance floor!"

I would consider myself as a musically talented person. I can play the violin, the piano and remix different kinds of music using A Cappella and instrumentals via a computer. And now I can add dancing like an idiot to J-Pop to that list, thanks to Konami's Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix: Dreamcast Version.

For those who have never played this Bemani game before, the aim of the game is to ''dance'' to the music by stepping to the corresponding keys as displayed on the screen. For every step, you are given a rating of Perfect, Great, Good, Bad or Miss. All of these ratings will go towards a final score at the end of the stage, if you can make it that far - S being the best and F being the worst. This will be recorded on a hi-score table. The more you play each song, the more options are unlocked. For example, if you have three perfect runs, you'll receive an extra track to get your groove on. However, the last tracks are usually on an advance level with a BPM's (beats per minute) of over 190 and more combinations than a Rubik's Cube. Difficulty can be determined by the rating of the song in feet and the description - basic is the easier level while maniac is the impossible option. If it's a bit too difficult, you can jiggle about to practice mode. You'll be able to access all the songs without getting that horrible game over screen when or if you fail.

A friend can join in for a battle to see who's the best or help you out in co-operation using two floor mats. Even if you don't have friends who are willing to humiliate themselves, you can still use two mats for a ''doubles'' session - the option where the playing field is doubled as well as the difficulty. It's certainly an option for pros!

If you find the preset dance steps too predictable, then there's an edit mode in which you can create your own stepping combinations. You can save them on your VMS and transfer the data to your friends for them to have a go. I heard you could even plug your VMS to the arcade version for use there!

The Dance Dance Revolution floor mat is the perfect companion with this game. Without it, it would be like playing Virtua Cop with no gun. The quality of the dancing mat is far more superior to the Playstation version thus durability is higher. Just remember to take your shoes off - it does make marks and dents on the mat that are irremovable. It's a shame that Konami didn't include two extra buttons on the mat - imagine using it to play Soul Calibur! After one round, you'll be exhausted! You can also get a under padding for the mat, just in case your neighbours complain about hearing weird bumps in the middle of the night. If you don't feel like prancing about on the map, you can always use the joypad and let your fingers do the walking... Or dancing in this case...

The Dreamcast version is exactly like 1st and 2nd mix on the Playstation in terms of graphics and songs. It's a shame really because a lot could of been done to improve this Dreamcast version due to the vast amount of extra space on the GD-ROM. The 3rd mix should of been included in this version or the ability to put music CDs and use them as songs would be a great option - just like Konami's Dance Dance Revolution tamagotchi style game, Goo Goo Soundy.

Music have been supplied courtesy from Toshiba EMI with tunes from obscure Japanese dance acts to the more familiar like Tubthumping, that unpleasant official World Cup song of 1998. The music is absolutely perfect for Dance Dance Revolution like a matching set of pyjamas no matter how ill fitting it is. Let's face it, it's not the type of music to be listened in your personal stereo but you wouldn't want to dance to classical!

Usually, I put GD-ROM discs into my personal computer to find out if there are any extras like picture. Here is what I've found: Put the disc in a hi-fi or CD-ROM drive and select track two. What usually happens is a sweet sounding Japanese lady would warn you that you shouldn't put this disc in a hi-fi. In Dance Dance Revolution, a short 17-second dance track suddenly blares out through the speakers with that oriental woman speaking over the top.

This is a very novel game, which is very additive!! It will most certainly give you a lot of practice for a performance in the arcades. There is no doubt fan of this genre will get this, what ever the cost - even if they have to invest on an import Dreamcast. This is great game to playing with your mates - when drunk. Let's hope Konami brings out International Track and Field or Bishibashi Special for the Dreamcast with mat support - now these are computer games that will give you a work out!

Overall Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/29/00, Updated 06/14/01