• Players will go banana's with 50 crazy party games that each use the Wii controller in different ways.

• 100 puzzle stages, including 20 unlockable.

• Designed for players of all ages, easy to learn but difficult to master.

• New Monkey Jump move brings an extra dimension to gameplay.

• Formidable end of stage boss battles.

• 2 new characters, Yan Yan and Doctor.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz and Rayman Raving Rabbids may, at first glance, appear as two contenders for the same consumer dollar. After all, both titles are essentially a compilation of mini-games woven together with a colorful sense of style. In reality, however, the monkeys fill in the Rabbids' gaps, and vice versa.

If you're a Super Monkey Ball veteran, purchasing Banana Blitz is a no-brainer. Be forewarned, though, that the single-player mode's controls may leave you frustrated until you've practiced for a number of hours. After reaching World 5 of 8, the difficulty reaches a level hardcore fans can appreciate, and only increases from there. Granted, even if you reach pro status, you may find yourself missing a high score by a hair simply because the controls aren't as refined as they should be.

On the graphical front, the game is brimming with color, and the visual style, while seeming cartoonish and simplistic, is very clean and appropriate. The music for Banana Blitz is also extremely energetic, which will appeal to people who get wholly absorbed in the experience or have a few friends over to play, but may become obnoxious for everyone else. The game also manages to rely primarily on the Wii Remote and puts the device's functionality to good use in most cases; where it doesn't, Banana Blitz at least lays the groundwork of ideas for other games to build upon.

All in all, Banana Blitz adheres closely to the Super Monkey Ball formula, which after the debacle that was Super Monkey Ball Adventure, should come as a sigh of relief to fans.