Bongos

So I got my wife a set of DK Bongos for the Gamecube. We didn't find the music game (titled Donkey Konga) that much fun at the store, but the action game, titled Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, seemed great fun. It is. It may seem odd to control a traditional 2D platform game with a set of drums, but it plain works. Playing is great fun, even if you can only play for a couple of levels before needing a break.

The bongos recognize the left beat, the right beat, beating them together and a microphone picks up the clap of your hands. So you only have four controls, but that is quite enough, really.

While the game features heavily on not being too demanding on the controls, it leaves plenty of room for skilled play. While you can just run and clap your way through the levels, major points are only scored for long aerial combos. I can't really see how to achieve 1200 bananas required for the platinum awards just yet.

I doubt it's very long-lived fun, but fun it is. Recommended.