DK Jungle Climber

Once you get into DK: Jungle Climber, you may find yourself having nightmarish flashbacks to Donkey Kong Country and those zillion lives trashed because of one screen requiring crazy timed maneuvers you couldn't quite seem to master.

Of course, as the DS follow up to the GBA's DK: King of Swing, you'll be peg hopping rather than leaping around, but as fans of the first game know, it takes more than centripetal force to get through these levels.

It's All In the Wrist

Finesse is what I'm talking about. Controls are still L and R for swinging and jumping, with A as a rocket attack, and the D-pad as an optional alternative for running. The tricky part is using everything in conjunction to both climb up the dual screens (using not only the pegs, but also props like levers, cranks, and screws) and take out any baddies in the way. Spiked bumble bees and Kremlings provide familiar threats, but jumping on anyone's head won't solve anything. One touch, even on his feet, and DK plunges to his doom-- unless Diddy's around.

Diddy is useful for more than just an expendable extra hit, however as there are certain items only he can use. A map pick-up reveals hidden pegs on the bottom screen, while an arcade-style hammer will bash anything out of the way. DK can also launch Diddy for extra range when attacking.

The story concerns stolen Crystal Bananas belonging to a banana alien who talks "Name Game" style. Thank thank bo bankfully, the cut scenes are short. DK ends up on a dimension-hopping chase after King K.Rool during which--in addition to themed islands--you'll travel to alternate locations like a mirror land, where using a peg that doesn't show up on both screens "shatters" the bottom mirror and sends you back to the beginning of the area.

The bosses in this game are equally creative. At the end of one world, you climb a robot, unscrewing bits as you go to expose the attackable weak point. Three hits would've been no problem, except for the barrage of bombs and blaster fire constantly hurtling at you.

DK: Jungle Climber is arguably more of what we saw in King of Swing, but with updated graphics. For those who felt that game was already a one-trick pony, it may be an undesirable sequel, but tons of hard-to-reach collectibles, unlockable mini-games, and four-player downloadable battles will keep the rest of us honing our skills for hours.

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