Fast and Fun, but leaves you wanting more...

Author's Rating:

Pros: Fast paced and action packed... with amazing graphics.

Cons: Short, and lacking in difficulty. No multiplayer.

The Bottom Line: 
It's fast. It's fun. It's... short. For gaming novices, it might be a very fun romp. But for experienced gamers... look to the Kongas for your Bongo fix.

Author's Review
I picked up this title not too long, about a week, after picking up Donkey Konga 2. Thrilled from the excitement I had from banging away Jungle-Style to a few of my favorite hits, I was ready to watch DK pound the living daylights out of various critters... to the furious beat of my bongos. What I got was a fast and exciting ride, but it seemed... short.

Allow me to break this down into several categories.

THE GAMEPLAY 8/10:
I'll give it props for being unique, but after awhile, the novelty of hitting bongos to make DK go starts to wear off... and you begin to realise just how limited your control over DK really is. It's a pretty simple concept, really, but in the end, it's pretty short, with not all that much to keep you going... aside from more levels which are basically just the same things in different orders... with various backgrounds and scenery. Each "Kingdom" (stage) consists of 3 levels: 2 actual levels of jungle(mountain, beehive, whatever) romping, and 1 "Boss" level. This feels a bit short and cheap... just as you're getting into the fun swing of one stage, it's over, you're at the boss, and you move on. Bummer.

The Bosses are what really make the game, though. From performing fast drumrolls to pummel a rival ape, to carefully beating out a soft percussion to latch onto a giant bird's egg and smash it, it's pretty fun... and the only real challenge of the entire game.

THE CONTROLS 10/10:
They're unique... and while they may be limited to just running, jumping, and clapping (or the occasional "roll to pummel" scenes), they're very responsive and sharp. Constantly drumming the left or right bongo moves DK in the respective direction. Hitting both makes him jump. Clapping activates various events and grabs bananas. Despite the lack of control, those that are there are perfect. (It should be noted the game CAN be played with a controller, which makes it a bit more like a classic DK game... but on par with the DKs of the past, this one falls horribly short)

THE STORY 0/10:
DK games aren't particularly known for their storylines, but generally, there's SOMETHING there that explains WHY DK is going on a rampage through various terrain smacking things around, while this offers none. You just barge into various "Kingdoms", beat the tar out of things, overthrow their King (thus making yourself King?), and move on. The violence, albeit comical and light-hearted, becomes senseless, which the video game world has enough of already without DK getting into the act.

MULTIPLAYER 0/10:
Where the two "Konga" games before it excelled, Jungle Beat fails to even perform. With no multiplayer, bongo-pounding action, this game leaves room for a solo romp only. And it's not particularly fun to watch as a spectator, so if you're a parent looking for a game for your kid, and your kid has siblings that also like to play, you might wanna steer clear this time: My siblings are already at each others throats for "their turn," and it's not fun.

REPLAY VALUE 5/10:
The only real replay value is going back to a favorite stage (despite their lack of any real length), or going back to get a "Gold Emblem" (which really isn't that hard at all). Sure, if you just love your bongos and it's the only game you got for it, go for it. Otherwise, stick with the Konga games.

OVERALL 7/10:
Jungle Beat provides a decent time killing distraction for a single individual, and on its own is a decent game. However, Nintendo has proven that it can produce much better games than this. My advice is to stick to the two Konga games if you want some Bongo action. Jungle Beat's easy, short-length "adventure" will leave you unsatisfied and hungry for more... no matter how many banana "beats" you snag.

If you can rent it, go ahead and give it a whirl, but I don't really consider it worth the $50 I paid for it. If you can find it for around $30 or so, it might be worth adding to your library... maybe.