Donkey Konga

This game is overall pretty good. 30+ songs (at least half of which you'll instantly recognise, even though all the songs have been tweaked slightly) and a bongo.

Graphics: Not great. Circles flying past obviously don't push the Cube to anywhere near its limits, but the backgrounds aren't that great either. Overall a bit dissapointing.

Sound: Obviously this is what most of the game is about, and it scores highly. A wide range of songs means that everyone will be pleased by at least one (but few will be happy at all of those chosen). There is also a wide range of unlockable songs that occur when you hit the bongo. Bongo is the best, while the more extreme ones got dull very quickly (farm animal sound etc).

Gameplay: Another good section. Fun in single player and great with a couple of friends as well! There's also a 3 mini games to play to keep you busy. Climbing vines is ultimately boring, but wack-a-mole os fun enough and banna juggling will keep you coming back to try to beat you're score.

Length: The game takes a while to complete and unlock everything. After that you wont return to the single player very often, but you will return for multiplayer. However, for a real multiplayer experience you'll need at a bongo for each player. Luckily, getting one free (and another free with DKJB) helps to keep the costs down.

Overall: a nice rythm game, just don't expect anything more then what you've heard about the game, basically.

Feel the beat! Join Donkey Konga and Diddy Konga as they drum and clap their way through hits old and new on a musical adventure that's more fun than a barrel of monkeys!Play along with your favorite tunes using the all-new DK Bongo controller. The simple controls incorporate both drumming and clapping for a unique experience that will appeal to gamers of all ages. Multiplayer musical mayhem! Connect up to four DK Bongos for rollicking jam sessions or match your rhythmic prowess against a rival in the two-player Vs. mode. More than 30 familiar songs, ranging from kids' medleys to classical to pop favorites! With three difficulty levels and five modes of play, Donkey Konga will have gamers everywhere drumming, clapping and dreaming of musical fame and fortune. (Note: Song versions have been remade for the game -- no original artists are used.)

I decided to buy this game because the free bongos persuaded me. As I am not one to judge a book by it's cover, I bought Donkey Konga for unique gameplay. I'm so glad I did buy it, because that's what I got. Donkey Konga is a very enjoyable and time consuming game. Although the one player mode will start to get old eventually, Donkey Konga will last you a few weeks at least. You will also play single player every now and then just to enjoy the experience again.
So what is Donkey Konga about? Well the story isn't exactly exciting... Donkey Kong and Diddy find some Bongos basically shaped like Barrels. They try to play them, but they can't. So Cranky tells them to practice and that's how the game starts.
The main point of the game is obviously to use the Bongo Drums. If you somehow lose the Bongos you can use the gamecube controller. However it is harder to use and not as much fun.
There is a selection of over 30 songs. Unfortunately they aren't the original tracks, but there are songs for different tastes. Rock, Pop, Classic, they are all there. Songs such as Lady Marmalade, Tubthumping and Don't Stop Me Now make an appearance. The songs also have difficulty ratings, judged by the amount of barrels beside their names (maximum of 8). After you choose your song, you have the opportunity to change your Bongo sound. You can have the sound of Mario in your Bongos and many other sounds. There are many Bongo sounds avilable, however you only start with 2. The Normal Bongos and the NES Bongos. You have to buy other Bongos with coins you earn.
Once you get onto the songs, the action really starts. Now is the time to use the Bongos. On the screen, there is a white circle. You have to hit the correct Bongo when the colour for that Bongo is exactly inside the white circle. There are 4 colours, a red circle means you hit the right drum, yellow is the left Bongo, Pink means you hit both Bongos together and the blue circle means you clap. You have to Bongo to the beat to earn coins to buy things. You don't get the coins unless you pass the song, so you need to get as many Greats as possible. Like a dance mat, you get either a Great, OK, Bad or Miss depending on how good your timing is.
These songs also have other Difficulty levels, you start on Monkey but there is also Chimp and Gorilla, where the beats to the songs are made harder. The songs get complicated and they can get frustrating.
There are also other places, including an arcade. The arcade is poor, you play the games using the DK Bongos but they aren't fun, even with friends.
Also there is DK Town, where you can buy Bongo sets, arcade games and songs for Gorilla mode with coins you earn.
Multiplayer is also a key point in Donkey Konga. Working as a team, you and your friends can drum together.
Graphics wise Donkey Konga is very basic, but it's meant to be.
Overall, Donkey Konga is a fun game, with pretty poor graphics and frustrating moments, but once overlooked, you have a great game.