Four years of development and what do you get?

During play it's easy to see why DK took so long to create, it's not just a single game, but four built into one. Each new episode manages to completely alter the world around so that the only familiar elements are you and your sidekicks. Textures, level architecture, models, weapons and sounds are all pushed through the 'change-o-matic' machine to create totally different environments. From the seething canyons of ancient Greece with it's metallic stone and yellow sandy beaches, to the back streets of future Japan, wet with rain and showered with mud covered metals and rubble.

Every time you change environment it's just enough to make you want to play through and reach the ending of the game. Marred by some dodgy weaponry, dated gameplay, architectural glitches and useless game elements (sidekicks), there's no doubt DK has its problems.

However on the good side the controls are simple and flowing, the gameplay basic yet packed with action and the episodes varied and quite often eye catching. Weaponry can be as entertaining as it is effective and the general flow of things is enough to keep even the most hardcore of players going for some time.

In contrast DK is a lot of fun to play, its problems lie in the inordinate amount of repetitive play and lack of depth (no real use of NPCs). At its heart sits a bog standard blaster that died long ago in the shadows of Doom and Quake, as such it stands little chance of critical acclaim amongst today's love buddies (Half-Life, SOF and Elite-Force etc.).

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