The Facts

• Be a part of the family and play as one of four related monkeys: Aiai, Meemee, Baby or Gongon.
• Simple control scheme allows players to focus on complex levels
• Tilt the level floor to roll your monkey
• Roll your way through 100 levels if you have the wits to do it
• Play with up to four players using a split-screen mode exclusive to GameCube
• Collect as many bananas as you can before crossing the goal line
• A wide selection of mini-games and four-player modes exclusive to the GCN version
• Try to stay on track as levels tilt, turn, separate and deform
• Expect other to-be-announced extras for GameCube's Super Monkey Ball
• Available for GameCube launch

Gameplay
Super Monkey Ball's heritage is in the arcades. Sega released Monkey Ball complete with intuitive trackball controls to arcade goers some time ago. The game starred monkeys -- yes, inside of clear, transparent balls, which manipulated bumpy, twisty, complex 3D courses. It sounds easier than it actually was. You see, the courses were set high above land in the skies, and if the monkeys weren't careful, they could easily find themselves falling to their doom. The arcade title featured dozens upon dozens of courses and was generally beloved by all -- particularly Sega fans who couldn't wait for a Dreamcast version to be born. But instead, it came to Nintendo's next-generation console with a host of respectable improvements and the end result is truly something special.

The backbone of Super Monkey Ball is simplicity. The game, undoubtedly inspired by the classic Marble Madness before it, challenges players to roll a transparent ball across a 3D maze  and that's the basics of it. The catch is that gamers don't control the ball, but the tilt of the board, and meanwhile the levels are in actuality suspended, unpredictable 3D tracks complete with twists, turns, spirals, bumps, holes and obstacles. Oh  and inside the ball is one of four selectable monkeys  Aiai, Meemee, Baby or Gongon. Don't ask because we don't know.

Control follows the same easy-does-it philosophy. Players manipulate their monkey-ball with the tilt of the 3D board, which is controlled with the analog stick. That's it. No buttons necessary. The setup is perhaps the most intuitive ever created. It's also highly sensitive and will have the inexperienced spiraling their ball off ledges and to its demise  guaranteed. But practice makes perfect, and it's because of this that Super Monkey Ball is destined to appeal most to the dedicated, skillful player  the one who is willing to invest time to learn every nook and cranny of levels so that they may best navigate them. And we must confess, it's a very satisfying play experience once one has familiarized his or her self with the process.

Super Monkey Ball's primary single-player experience in the "Main Mode," a linear set of different levels that must be successfully completed. This portion of the title is separated into different degrees of level difficulty that players can freely select. The first, Beginner  serves up only an initial 10 levels that are almost all easy. The second, Advanced, features 30 levels of progressively harder difficulty. Then there are 50 Expert stages that are catered to the truly complete player. And above all else, there are Beginner Extra, Advanced Extra and Expert Extra levels that are only unlocked if players can make it through any of the other modes  all of the stages  without dying once. Few will uncover these.

A goal in each level marks the spot where players must roll their monkeys. They can also choose to collect bananas, which are scattered throughout each stage, along the way  an extra life is awarded for every 100 collected. Like everything else in the title, it's simple, but only in design. The first several levels are almost naked in comparison to the others and have obviously only been created to lesson gamers on how everything works. But by stage 10 things start to get harder. Some twists, turns and narrow paths definitely offer a glimpse of more challenging areas to come. And shortly into the Advanced stages the game moves from interesting to downright frustrating. Paths narrow to almost nothing, holes appear in the mazes, and complex physics become part of the play puzzles. Indeed, some of these areas will beat the casual gamer for good. But the draw to the next level is always there as each stage is not only so much fun to play, but varied and original -- if hard, and that's a sure testament to great design if we ever saw it.

We've beaten all of the levels in all of the modes, and have actually unlocked all of the Extra stages in both Beginner and Advanced. But even after weeks and weeks of play time, we still haven't been able to make it through the Expert stages  all 50 of them  without dying, and therefore the Extra areas for this mode still remain out of our reach. Our point? It's nearly impossible. If players really want to unlock everything Super Monkey Ball has to offer, they had better be prepared to invest some serious time into the levels. Be prepared to play through some stages tens, if not hundreds of times. And there will be instances, especially for those after the Extra stages, where the thought of throwing the GameCube controller across the room in frustration won't seem so far fetched. On the bright side, though, the satisfaction obtained after successfully navigating a level that was previously a burden is unequaled.

One other element we'd like to note about Super Monkey Ball that some readers may be interested to know. There is a lot of skill involved in the game. It's not just about guiding a transparent ball through a level. There are shortcuts that can be carved out by the crafty player, physics to be considered when navigating and more. The simple way that a monkey-ball will bounce after dropping onto a level below is something that players must know before attempting such a feat. And like the levels themselves, the shortcuts are a lot of fun to try and even more so to properly perform.

Sega's title has been upgraded significantly since its arcade debut so that GameCube owners see a commendable list of new modes and features. Included in the list of goodies are new multiplayer-ready modes  everything from Monkey Race to Monkey Billiards. We've gone back to our initial preview of the game to list these extras for you below, along with our impressions of each:

Monkey Race
Sega's version of Mario Kart. Monkeys race across twisting, turning, bumpy board roadways against other foes. One can do a Single Race or take part in a five-lap Grand Prix, Power-up items located throughout each track enable monkeys to eliminate the competition -- they can be turned into ice so that they will slide across the track or transformed into a blocky, square polygon that will tumble along the roadway roughly, slowing them down. In addition to everything else, gamers have to watch out for bumpers that, if hit, will fling them off the track. Whichever monkey finishes first wins.

The analog stick is used to control the little guys, and the A button makes them go. Items are flung at opponents Mario Kart-style with the B button. The execution is perfectly complemented by tight, spot-on control -- everything about it just feels polished and finely tuned. Four players can take part in this mode simultaneously and the split-screen action ever slows down.

Monkey Fight
This mode, which also allows for four-player simultaneous action on one screen, pits monkeys on a hovering arena platform, gives them big boxing gloves, and has them duke it out. The idea is to knock the competing monkeys off the platform for points. Whichever monkey is in the lead wears a crown so that other players know he is winning and can go after him. Even better, if they successfully knock him off, they will actually earn extra points. Power-up items are continually dropped into the arena so that monkeys can, for example, increase their boxing glove size and add more force to their knock-off punches. The monkey with the most successfully push-offs when the timer runs out wins.

The analog stick controls and the A button punches -- simple. Again, superior, and balanced control and a whole lot of frenzy, name-calling action make the Monkey Fight a thing of beauty. It's so much fun that it's hard to put the controller down, and it's likely to be a favorite.

Monkey Target
This mode begins with a giant downward slope and ramp that players must roll their monkey off at top speed. When they have reached the bottom and jumped from the ramp, players can press the A button and the monkey's ball will sprout wings that will carry the little animal -- flying, mind you -- over a vast, beautiful sea with islands in the distance. The object of this mode is to fly the monkey to the island of their choice and land him safely on it for Play Points. Each island is setup in a dartboard-esque fashion for different levels of points that can be earned. Landing on the edge of an island won't earn a player much, but the middle will.

There are several obstacles to deal with in this mode. First, before monkeys roll down the ramp, players must spin the Wheel of Danger, which will randomly determine if, say, there will be bombs located all over the islands or if spiked balls will be floating in the air to be avoided. Supposing players make it through the Wheel of Danger's vicious announcement without fail, they have to take into consideration that they are trying to land a monkey ball, and it's going to bounce. What this means is that when a ball is dropped onto an island, it doesn't mean it's going to land where players want it to -- it may wander over to a nearby bomb and explode itself into the sea.

Floating bananas can be collected in-air that will reward players with a special item. In some cases, it will be the ability to remove all wind so that monkeys can glide without being swayed. In others, it will be to drop a monkey without the bugger rolling around once he hits land, which comes in impressively handy. There is a careful science of when to use an item and when to forgo it. This mode does not allow for four-player simultaneous mode, but four players can have at it in rotation -- competing against each other's scores. Like every other Party Game, this one has its own unique set of physics when the Monkey is hang-gliding over the sea. Control is simple and brilliantly intuitive, and of course the mode itself is a heavenly kind of fun -- both alone or with friends.

All of the Party Games are available from the moment Monkey Ball boots up.

Mini Games
There is another set of exclusive modes to the GameCube title called Mini Games, and players will need to unlock these areas with Play Points earned. Each Mini Game costs roughly 2,500 Play Points, which it says can usually be earned halfway through the first set of Advanced levels in the main Arcade Mode. Here are those Mini Games:

Monkey Billiards
Pool -- that's what this is, and Nine Ball at that. Except instead of pool balls, players hit monkey balls, and instead of using a pool stick, the monkeys hit themselves. It's a cute approach brought to life with an ultra-realistic physics engine that perfectly mimics how pool balls would react. Players simply line up their shots, hit their monkey balls and send them flying across a lifelike table, and it all works just as good if not better than any pool simulation available to home consoles. Gamers can go against the computer or against friends, taking turns. Shots are angled with the analog stick and the B button can be used for power hits. English can also be applied. Meanwhile, the Y button is utilized to change the camera in this mode to a top-down view, whereupon the camera stick can manipulate the view -- fast and smooth at 60 frames per second, of course. This is a game in of itself. It really could be. And with rock solid control, and perfect physics, it's a masterful one at too.

Monkey Bowling
Yes -- bowling. And again, a very realistic take on the sport. Players can go 10 frames in Standard Mode or select Challenge and the game will setup different pin arrangements like the 7/10 split. Good luck. Monkeys can be moved left or right with the analog stick. The A button produces a beam that shows the direction the monkey balls will go, and send them rolling. Once a monkey ball is headed toward the pins, players can apply rotation to it using the analog triggers -- R for right spin and L for left spin. Everything works wonderfully and when the pins break apart one would swear it's the real deal. This mode allows for four people to play in rotation.

Monkey Golf
The monkey becomes the golf ball. There is either stroke or match play rotating between players. The analog stick directs one's shot through 18 different holes -- each more difficult. Meanwhile, the A button hits the balls off, where markers are placed. Players can choose their club size, hit the Y button to see their score, or the X to see the layout of the course and move it around with the analog. This mode plays splendidly -- it's like a complete golf game, and is a tester favorite.

Replay Mode
Super Monkey Ball features a replay mode so that players can save their most death-defying feats. Some Sega testers had up to 30 saved replay modes on one memory card, so one needn't worry about clogging up their memory with the saves.

Indeed, bearing all of the above multiplayer modes in mind along with the already compelling single-player experience, we can wholeheartedly recommend Super Monkey Ball as a title not only with a great level of initial play, but an unsurpassed amount of replay value too. It is a deep, intuitive title that is sure to have those who try it addicted.

Graphics
Super Monkey Ball is all about the play experience, of course, but that doesn't make the visual presentation of the title any less important. Sega has worked its magic in some areas visually and come up short in others. Probably the best graphic element of the game is that it truly, always runs at a full 60 frames per second. It moves this silky smooth whether or not it's in single-player or four-player mode. And for that, hats off. We're appreciative. Similarly, monkeys are well designed and adequately animated. Special touches here include monkeys that dance in celebration after winning a match and who in their right mind could not like that? Developer Amusement Vision has even polished up the levels since their original arcade appearance with new crisper textures reflection effects. The game's water looks particularly incredible. But on the other hand, there isn't much geometry being drawn at any single point in the title and the backgrounds are often barren, whether it be for power or stylistic purposes. Plus, the levels aren't all too varied  the 10 stages of Beginner look identical, and then a good portion of Advanced, and then a good portion of Expert. And unfortunately the title does not support progressive scan mode, which is certainly disappointing. In the end, the graphic job gets done, but it doesn't ever impress beyond a solid framerate.

Audio
The music and sound effects in Super Monkey Ball are fitting of the game's cute, carefree nature. Tunes are consistently cheery and fast-moving, but there aren't a whole lot of tracks to choose from as the game progresses. Note: Sega seems content to use 80s guitar riffs for some odd reason that we can't explain but that we're sure makes perfect sense to the Japanese. A colorful selection of monkey calls fill the levels as the balls bounce, run into walls and bump into obstructive objects, and it all sounds well enough. Overall, not bad. But nothing to celebrate either.