Somehow, Nintendo managed to make a "Donkey Kong" platformer that recommends that you use a pair of bongos as a controller. What's more, they made it great! "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat" is a shining example of how a "gimmick" can actually make a game a lot of fun. I'm not sure how many people can say that they came up with an idea for a platformer that used bongos, but Nintendo managed to pull it off wonderfully.
Colorful visuals, great level design, responsive controls, the perfect mix of difficulty (it's simple enough for newcomers but also complex and difficult enough for hardcore gamers) and a thrilling combo system help make this game a real winner.
Sure, it's not a very long adventure (some might yearn for a bit more) and the boss battles can get a bit repetitive, but all in all, "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat" definitely stands as one of the GameCube's more underappreciated gems and it deserves a spot somewhere in your collection.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"