First the game--it's pretty simple. You have a set of bongo drums. They contain sensors for not only left and right but also for clapping. To play, you choose a game, difficulty and song. Then a series of color-coded circles appears telling you whether to hit the right, left, both bongos or to clap. There are also indicators for regular taps vs. rolls, or quick series of taps.

There are many games available - most are variations on Street Performance. In this mode you choose your difficulty level (only the first two are available to you at first, Monkey and Chimp) and then the song you wish to play. The variety of songs is staggering and amusing. It starts from something as simple as "Happy Birthday to You" to "Hungarian Dance in G Minor". "Oye Como Va" by Tito Puente really gave me fits for a while and you know, I'm not sure I'd ever heard the words to "Louie Louie" until this game. But, Nintendo you are now on my list - my children NEVER stop playing "We Will Rock You" by Queen and "Rock Lobster" by the B-52's! As you can see….it's a WIDE variety of songs.

Ok, so you've chosen a level and now you must choose a song. The songs within each level have varying difficulties indicated by the number of bongos in their description. What was simple in Monkey mode suddenly becomes the most difficult song in Chimp mode. Oh, and there's Gorilla mode, too. To reach Gorilla mode you must earn credits in the other two to buy the songs for Gorilla mode - and make no mistake, the cost of a song won't tell you it's difficulty. "Row Your Boat" suddenly becomes HARD in Gorilla mode.

Credits -- you earn these by completing the songs in the two lower levels by making as few mistakes as possible. But other than songs for Gorilla mode (not great for young children) what can you buy? How about new sounds? There are the standard NES sounds or Barnyard Animal sounds. The first time you play "Whip It" by Devo with a clap representing an "Ow!" it's rather amusing. Beyond songs and sounds you can also buy mini-games.

The mini-games are great for giving your tired hands a break from the bongos. You've got banana juggling, something I can only describe as Whack-a-Mole and, for those who remember, the traditional Donkey Kong Jr. game (this one WILL make your hands sore). Good for a break.

Other game modes include Chimp/Monkey/Gorilla Jams - playing the songs from memory. Ahh! A Jam Session that is a cooperative mode between 1-4 people and is really fun because you're all playing different parts of the song rather than competing; Battle Mode - just what it sounds like - you've got to do better than your competitor; and Challenge - an endurance test of just how many songs you can complete before committing too many errors.

That's the game in a bongo shell. But, not really what I want to say about this game. Since my family bought it (the day after it came out) we've put some time into it but as a family (you can play with GC controllers but I don't suggest it as clapping is really hard with the L button). When one son is performing the other is standing next to him practicing. I have a child with a very poor sense of rhythm who's improved greatly since playing this game. And it's amazing to see them in the car when they hear a song they think would be perfect for Donkey Konga and they make up their own rhythms.

If you're looking for an alternate to standard fare for family night I can't recommend this game more highly. The only drawback is that a second set of bongos is an additional $30 and playing with the controller really is difficult for younger children. Beyond that, I can't recommend Donkey Konga more highly. **Starts humming the Blink 182 tune** Party games are not new. Nor have they traditionally been designed for anything other than a group of adults. Donkey Konga wasn't either, but neither did they forget families. As a mother of 5 and 7 year-old boys, I have to say that Donkey Konga is a welcome relief to the nights of Candyland and Chutes and Ladders and something that I find is teaching and enriching my children's lives.

First the game--it's pretty simple. You have a set of bongo drums. They contain sensors for not only left and right but also for clapping. To play, you choose a game, difficulty and song. Then a series of color-coded circles appears telling you whether to hit the right, left, both bongos or to clap. There are also indicators for regular taps vs. rolls, or quick series of taps.

There are many games available - most are variations on Street Performance. In this mode you choose your difficulty level (only the first two are available to you at first, Monkey and Chimp) and then the song you wish to play. The variety of songs is staggering and amusing. It starts from something as simple as "Happy Birthday to You" to "Hungarian Dance in G Minor". "Oye Como Va" by Tito Puente really gave me fits for a while and you know, I'm not sure I'd ever heard the words to "Louie Louie" until this game. But, Nintendo you are now on my list - my children NEVER stop playing "We Will Rock You" by Queen and "Rock Lobster" by the B-52's! As you can see….it's a WIDE variety of songs.

Ok, so you've chosen a level and now you must choose a song. The songs within each level have varying difficulties indicated by the number of bongos in their description. What was simple in Monkey mode suddenly becomes the most difficult song in Chimp mode. Oh, and there's Gorilla mode, too. To reach Gorilla mode you must earn credits in the other two to buy the songs for Gorilla mode - and make no mistake, the cost of a song won't tell you it's difficulty. "Row Your Boat" suddenly becomes HARD in Gorilla mode.

Credits -- you earn these by completing the songs in the two lower levels by making as few mistakes as possible. But other than songs for Gorilla mode (not great for young children) what can you buy? How about new sounds? There are the standard NES sounds or Barnyard Animal sounds. The first time you play "Whip It" by Devo with a clap representing an "Ow!" it's rather amusing. Beyond songs and sounds you can also buy mini-games.

The mini-games are great for giving your tired hands a break from the bongos. You've got banana juggling, something I can only describe as Whack-a-Mole and, for those who remember, the traditional Donkey Kong Jr. game (this one WILL make your hands sore). Good for a break.

Other game modes include Chimp/Monkey/Gorilla Jams - playing the songs from memory. Ahh! A Jam Session that is a cooperative mode between 1-4 people and is really fun because you're all playing different parts of the song rather than competing; Battle Mode - just what it sounds like - you've got to do better than your competitor; and Challenge - an endurance test of just how many songs you can complete before committing too many errors.

That's the game in a bongo shell. But, not really what I want to say about this game. Since my family bought it (the day after it came out) we've put some time into it but as a family (you can play with GC controllers but I don't suggest it as clapping is really hard with the L button). When one son is performing the other is standing next to him practicing. I have a child with a very poor sense of rhythm who's improved greatly since playing this game. And it's amazing to see them in the car when they hear a song they think would be perfect for Donkey Konga and they make up their own rhythms.

If you're looking for an alternate to standard fare for family night I can't recommend this game more highly. The only drawback is that a second set of bongos is an additional $30 and playing with the controller really is difficult for younger children. Beyond that, I can't recommend Donkey Konga more highly. **Starts humming the Blink 182 tune**