The Jungle Book: Groove Party

Release Date: November 1, 2000

"More dance fun to offer than Britney Spears in school uniform"

Regular visitors to the arcades 4 will be familiar with the I practice of using feet, rather than fingers, to play games. Although this might sound bizarre, it's actually very easy to do. All the symbols you’d normally find on your joypad are displayed on a specially designed mat. You stand in the middle and step forward for up, back for down, left for left and, yes, you guessed it, right for right.

Jungle Book Groove Party has been specifically designed for the mat, and is the first of its kind to be sold in the UK.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of using a dance mat before, there’s a whole heap of fun waiting for you. The on-screen action is similar to PaRappa The Rappa and Beatmania : symbols scroll down the screen until they reach a circular target at which point you’re required to stand on the corresponding symbol. This is made easier by the fact that all the button presses are in time to the music, which means that if you’re using the mat, and moving your feet in time to the music.. you’re dancing.

Things start off relatively easily - it’s just a step to the left, then a jump to the right, put your hands on your hips (oops, wrong musical, but the idea is the same, just without the cross-dressing). As you progress through the game, both the plot (basically the same as the classic Disney film) and the dance moves become ever more complicated, until it reaches a point where you’re left feeling like a reject from Fame and suffering from a bad case of jungle fever.

Of course, this mini-disco display is hilarious for anybody watching, and Jungle Book is perfect for multiplayer action at parties. Whether it’s jelly and ice cream for a group of toddlers, or vodka jellies and whipped cream for a more adult get together. the games hysterical, and the only arguments you’re likely to get are over whose go it is next. For an instant party, all you need are two mats and the Versus Mode. While this is on the pricey side to set up (the game costs £49.99 with the mat, about £24.99 without and the mat can be bought separately for £29.99), you’ll certainly get your money’s worth.

With more dance fun to offer than Britney Spears in school uniform. Jungle Book Groove Party has to be a hit. The only reservation we might have is that, as with any novelty game, its initial sparkle could soon wear off.

PlayStationVerdict

• Graphics: Bright colourful and typically Disney

• Gameplay: Funnier than the day Dan said he was “a bit of lady’s man

• Lifespan: It’s a novelty, it wears off, but the mat works with other games

• Overall: The first of its kind to make it to the UK, Groove Party is lots of fun and a good example of what’s to come. Classic tracks like Bare Necessities make it perfect for monkeying around