The people who made this game must be getting paid by the idea. It manages to avoid being an average platform adventure through the sheer number of activities on offer. While jumping around, bashing baddies and releasing imprisoned animals forms the bulk of the fun, it's all linked together by a multitude of mini games. Badger herding, snowboarding, white water rafting, torpedo riding and pelican flying are joined by frantic races to escape anything from giant bears to out-of-control snowploughs. It changes almost continously and this variety can't help but keep you hooked.

On the downside, there are some baffling fluctuations in both the placement of checkpoints and the difficulty level. Restart points are scattered plentifully, but you'll sometimes find yourself being sent back to an earlier set of jumps that come just before the section that keeps killing you. And some bits are hard; we're talking really, really tough - the experience often switches, without warning, from an enjoyable romp to an exasperating challenge.

Kao The Kangaroo: Round 2 doesn't quite reach the heights that other platformers like Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet & Clank or Jak And Daxter can leap to. There's a slightly flimsy feel to the way it's been put together and a lack of balance in the different styles of gameplay. But this is still great fun to play and its sheer diversity overcomes its shortfalls.

Graphics 70%
Colourful and cartoony.

Sound 60%
Plenty of boings and silly noises.

Gameplay 60%
Varied in style but also in difficulty.

Lifespan 80%
Ages. There's loads to unlock.

Overall 70%
A challenging platformer that can be a little too challenging at times. At thirty quid you'll certainly get your money's worth, though.