Sega's only launch title for the Nintendo GameCube is practically a perfect selection to release. It fits all the criteria that a launch title should be: fun, easy to pick up, and a lot of replayability. Since software releases tend to be slow early in the life of a console, these factors can make the difference between playing a game and blowing through it in a week, and having a game that will keep you coming back until more software gets released. Sega has done just that with their arcade to GameCube port of Super Monkey Ball.

Since Super Monkey Ball was an arcade title that never hit the US market, it's no surprise that most people have never heard of it and are likely to think that it is an original developed console title. The concept is simple; roll your monkey, who is enclosed inside a ball, across the finish line. If you have ever played or seen those classic wooden labyrinths which have you guide a marble from start to end while avoiding the holes laid out all over the maze, then you will be familiar with how to play Super Monkey Ball. Easy, eh? Well you will be retracting that statement once you take on the most difficult course of the game.

Sticking with the main game, there are three difficulty levels to play through. The easiest should warm you up to the game and only requires that you pass ten boards. But once you think you've got the game down, taking on the next two difficulties will knock that smirk right off your face. Going through thirty and fifty board sets with much more complicated designs will show you where the real challenge is. To top it off, you have a limited number of lives and continues to try and complete each difficulty. Fortunately, if you collect one hundred bananas, which are placed throughout each of the boards, you'll earn an extra life. While there is no requirement to collect them, you'll quickly learn that picking them up could make all the difference later on when you are low on lives. The multiplayer mode here isn't anything special though as it just lets each player alternate their attempt at passing the board they are on.

In addition to the main game, there are a number of mini-games that can be played. Initially three of them will be accessible under the Party Game menu. These three include Monkey Race, Monkey Fight, and Monkey Target. Monkey Race puts you on track designs from Daytona, and lets you race against three opponents. To add a little flavor to it, there are power ups located around on track that adds a touch of Mario Kart to the mix. There are three tracks and both a single race and grand prix mode to play. Monkey Fight attaches a single boxing glove in front of your character which you use A to extend. The object is to stay on the board and knock your opponent off as many times as possible before time is up. Power ups can be had when boxes appear and you open their contents. A total of three stages are included in this mode. Finally, Monkey Target has you rolling down a steep hill with a ramp at the bottom that will launch you in the air. Once in the air, you will have to hit A to extend your ball into gliding wings, which you need to maneuver yourself out to target platforms with water surrounding them. The goal is to hit various targets for point values that will be added up after all the rounds are played. Imagine the parachuting event from Pilot Wings. To make things even more difficult, the platforms change in design in between each round, and before you make your attempt, a wheel spins around that has potential hazards which could be included on your try. All three of these modes can be played up to four players and have options within them.

However, to unlock the other three games in the Mini Game menu, you will have to earn points in the Main Game mode. After you reach certain point values, a specific mini game will open up. These games include Monkey Billiards, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Golf. Monkey Billiards is a game of 9 ball which has you aiming and launching your monkey towards the billiard balls. Monkey Bowling has you aiming your monkey as it travels down to knock down pins. Unfortunately with Monkey Golf, we have not been able to open this mode as of the writing of this review, and thus we are not sure how it plays.

These bonus games though are just gravy on top of an already addicting game. But factoring in the bonus games, and multiplayer options in all modes, you have a complete package that offers a lot of fun and a ton of replayability. It is likely that a few months from now, Super Monkey Ball will be one of the few launch titles that you still will be playing, especially if you have friends to play with. Don't pass up this great title which is probably the one that unfortunately will get lost in the shuffle with much higher profile titles. If it wasn't for being one of the only games available, I may have never have played it. I'm glad I did.