Description:

The first Rhythm Paradise (Rhythm Tengoku in Japan) on the Gameboy Advance was a brilliantly inspired work of unshackled creativity that stood out as something special even within the generally-high-quality rhythm-action genre. This sequel is every bit as good, and it's a bit different, too.

The original Rhythm Paradise had you tapping along in time to Japanese electro music that was synchronised with the movement of random robotic stuff on screen. The DS follow-up presents yet more fun-loving acts of invention and is interacted with via touch-pen presses, releases and flicks.

You hold the DS like a book and set the screen orientation to match your more rhythmically dependable hand. Then it's simply a case of copying the actions presented at each pre-level tuition screen while staying in time and not losing your touch.

Be warned though, this is a bit of a deceptive game. It looks simple and sounds saccharine sweet, but it also demands perfect timekeeping. You have to play as though you are Kraftwerk's drummer (Klaus Dinger, for example), which is another way of saying you need to become The Man-Machine (possibly Karl Bartos). That might not sound like great fun, but when you get things right and the music and animations all hit like well oiled pistons, Rhythm Paradise feels like a mini rave.

The most euphoric moments are in the game's Remix stages, which appear at the end of each four-level run. These combine elements from the four stages you've just worked through, mashing things up at a tempo that gradually increases - like playing in fast-forward - and leaves you frantically struggling to stay in the game.

The weird thing about Rhythm Paradise is that very few musical instruments appear. Most of the time you have to perform tasks that are completely unrelated to the world of music making, but in a musical way. Examples? playing a rhythmic table tennis rally, painting robots on a semi-automated conveyor belt, firing pegs through holes set in square tiles and shooting space invaders.

It's Rhythm fun alright, but not as you know it!

Information:

• Number of players: 1
• Development Company: Nintendo
• Software House: Nintendo
• Video Dimensions: 2D
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Point Of View: Static screen