Donkey Kong and his pals from the Donkey Kong Country series have been appearing on the Game Boy Advance in the form of ports and re-releases quite often lately. However, DK: King of Swing features all those loveable characters in a new setting. So how does this shoulder button slammin' adventure measure up? Read on for the full review.

Facts and Features

• New setting for Donkey Kong and friends
  
• 1-4 players via link cable
  
• Collectibles open unlockable content
  
• Developed by Paon
  
• Published by Nintendo

Gameplay
DK: King of Swing's gameplay recipe is one part unique and one part old school. The majority of the time you'll be alternating between your L and R buttons to make Donkey Kong climb a series of pegs and climbable objects to reach your goal. You press (and hold) the L button to make DK grasp with his left hand and the R button for his right. While grasping an object with only one hand, DK will be rotating around whatever you have gripped. DK can leap by holding both the L and R buttons and releasing them. The mechanics work very well and they are simple enough that you are comfortable by the end of the first stage. They don't lend themselves to much depth in terms of gameplay, but the controls do get the job done nicely without becoming any sort of obstacle.

Those who have experienced titles like Clu Clu Land or Crazy Climber back in the day will feel a bit of nostalgia here. Due to the simple nature of the gameplay, however, you'll most likely find yourself playing in short spurts instead of long sessions.

Graphics and Sound
The graphics are certainly sharp and clean in this game, but we have seen Donkey Kong look better. The sprites are pretty simple, but they manage to retain their familiar charm. The sprite rotation effects are very nicely handled by the GBA hardware and the animation is decent. The colors are extremely bright and lively, something that has become a staple of Nintendo games on the handheld. There is a pretty good variety to the backgrounds, but it would have been nice to have seen a bit more of it. The bottom line is the graphics look simple, but they are still nice and clean.

The sound is packed full of the type of music and effects expected of a Nintendo title, but nothing truly grabs you. The GBA sound hardware is used effectively, but it isn't pushed in any form here. It's impossible not to love DK's grunts though, isn't it?

Closing Comments
DK: King of Swing is fun. While it isn't as deep as many of the other titles you might find in the GBA library, it is a nice piece for a well-rounded collection. The multiplayer is fun if you can find others to link with, and the unlockable content will have you coming back on occasion. As long as you aren't expecting anything revolutionary or mind-blowing, DK: King of Swing should be a nice title to hold you over until the pre-holiday releases start appearing. *