Donkey Kong Country 3 [GBA]

What's old is new again.

Originally released nine years ago on the Super Nintendo, Donkey Kong Country 3 for the Game Boy Advance is a side-scrolling platform game starring an agile Dixie Kong and her hefty toddler cousin, Kiddy Kong, who are both determined to find the kidnapped Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

It seems the nasty leader of the Kremlings, Baron K. Roolenstein, is responsible for their disappearance, so the duo set out on a remote island to reclaim their lost family members.

Gamers who played the original platformer will immediately recognize this near-identical handheld version, but along with the eight huge single-player worlds (each housing six levels), Nintendo has added a ninth, Pacifica, also with six new levels to explore. This GBA version also features new mini-games, additional characters and a so-so two-player "hot seat" mode: one player controls Dixie until her life is lost and then passes the controller to a friend to play as Kiddy, and so on.

As with the DKC games before it, the adventure is played with two players on the screen at the same time (in this case, Dixie and Kiddy), as they use their skills to run, jump, climb, fight, and swim through a number of 2D levels, collect power-ups, and smash open barrels to reveal goodies inside. Each character has his or her own unique skills, so the player must decide who should lead, given the situation.

For example, Kiddy is all about brute force so he's more ideal in fighting baddies, throwing barrels, and smashing through secret areas to reveal hidden goodies. Dixie, on the other hand, can jump longer distances (such as over a deep chasm), plus she can use her ponytail as a helicopter to spin and glide to safety. Skilled gamers can also use the two protagonists together such as the strong Kiddy throwing Dixie upwards to reach high places.

Environments are quite varied, ranging from slippery snowy mountain tops and green rainforests to castles and volcanoes to subterranean caves and industrial areas. Gamers will face 16 different kinds of Kremlings and other enemies (excluding boss fighters), such as the heavily-armed Bazuka, the long-nosed Swoopy bird and Nibbla, a hungry piranha-like fish.

Controlling both is intuitive for the most part, though some of the mini-games, such as driving boasts on Lake Orangatanga, proved difficult to control; this is because one button must be held down to accelerate while the other must fire at ships. Other mini-games, which lets gamers earn money to be used to purchase new items, also include a Dance Dance Revolution-like rhythm game, racing challenges and a martial arts match as an aging dojo master.

Gamers must also play as other animals, each with unique skills, such as Ellie the Elephant, Enguarde the Swordfish, and Parry the Parallel Bird. Acquiring the talents of local wildlife also adds variety to the gameplay. Gamers will also meet non-playable allied characters including Blunder, a dimwitted shopkeeper bear, and collectible Banana Birds.

There isn't much to complain about with Donkey Kong Country 3. Whether or not you've played the original SNES game or the two previous DKC Game Boy titles, gamers on the go will undoubtedly enjoy this huge game with seemingly endless variety.