This is a great sequel, in many cases it\'s better than the original Donkey Konga. It has a similar format to DDR in that you choose a song and difficulty level and you have to do the right move at the right time. In this game it?s with the DK Bongos. You either have to hit the left, right, both, or clap when the appropriate symbol meets the mark. Depending on your timing, you?ll get rated as Great, OK, Miss or Bad. If you get consecutive Greats and OK?s you?ll get a combo bonus. This game does have multiplayer support and if you don?t have an extra set of bongos you can use the game controller, but the bongos are much more fun!

What kind of music is there?

The song collection is quite different from the original. I?m not too familiar with many of they songs but the people that I have talked with like the selection better in this game. There is quite a variety; I?m sure there?s something for every age group. There?s classical, alternative, rap, techno, heavy metal, etc. All the songs are done by a cover band (not the original artists). They do a pretty good job though.

What new features are there?

You can get gold in almost all of the game modes, which is really cool. To play the mini games you have to pay 50 gold or 100 gold if you play them with a partner. There are badges you can associate your scores with. You can unlock more via a memory like game in the mini-games. Also, there?s a new feature that randomly selects songs to play for you. There are new titles given to you when you complete a level. You can go from being a monkey?s uncle to lord of the bongos.

Game Modes

Freestyle Zone-
This mode is ideal for younger children. They just pound the bongos and images appear on the screen in random spots. There?s really no goal other than to have fun.
Street Performance-
This is a single player mode where you play songs and collect coins if you pass. You can use the money to buy gorilla mode songs, different drum sounds, and mini-games. There?s now a duet mode!
Challenge-
In this mode you keep playing songs until you fail. You can have multiple players in this mode.
Battle-
This two-player mode determines who is the top banana when it comes to banging the bongos.
Concert-
This is a mode just for fun and making music. There are no points awarded. Up to four players can play.
Music lab-
This is where you can play the mini games. I think the games are better than the last. There is a Tetris like game called barrel race where you have to hit the pattern to clear it and your racing against your opponent. The other mode is called rhythm keeper and you have to do just that. You start with the notes and you have to keep it going.

How hard is it?

There are three difficulty levels: Monkey, Chimp and Gorilla. Not only are there more beats per level, but also the passing bar gets higher and it is not as forgiving when you make a mistake. I pretty much mastered the monkey songs at my first sitting. Chimp levels are more challenging on the harder songs. Gorilla mode is pretty tough and in order to play this mode you have to purchase songs from street performance winnings.

Graphics

The graphics are 3D but are nothing to write home about. This type of game doesn?t need jaw-dropping graphics anyway. Each song has a different background so there?s plenty of eye candy.

Sound

This game is all about music and as I said earlier it?s pretty well done and there?s plenty of variety. My only gripe is that there are not enough songs. Then again, I could be spoiled by my several gig collection on my PC. The drum sounds you can buy are pretty cool.

Controls

You can navigate through all the menus etc. with the bongos. The bongos are pretty sturdy and are easy to use. The menu system is just like DDR in the way that it scrolls. You can buy this game with or without bongos.

Appropriateness

This game is pretty clean but a couple of the songs are heavy and a couple more have minor language and/or suggestive themes. The most questionable songs being Shaggy?s Boombastic and Hit Em Up Style by Blu Cantrell. They also have a couple REM songs and one of them being losing my religion but the lyrics are vague.