Video A - Mix 5 What an oddball release Rhythm Tengoku is. On the face of it we have a fairly standard rhythm action game, but as we've come to expect from the developers who gave us Wario Ware the gameplay is divided up into a series of self contained and unique mini games, something previously unseen in the genre. Stranger still, lurking within Rhythm Tengoku's extra modes is a perfectly implemented six piece drum simulator which just might prove to be more of a draw than the main game itself.

The hook of Rhythm Tengoku's main mode is its simplicity. Imagine Wario Ware's micro games, but with a full set of instructions and no time limit and you'll have some appreciation of just how basic Rhythm Tengoku's forty eight mini music challenges are. On the plus side this makes the game totally accessible: there's no fumbling around the GBA's controls as most of the mini-games use a single button. However the price for this unbridled accessibility is a difficulty curve that's Keira Knightley flat with only the slightest shade of an incline coming in the last dozen levels. And then, wham! Just as things are starting to get interesting the game ends.

Video B - Mix 6

Whether you'll want to go back and completely finish the game will depend on how patient you are. Earning medals on all of the levels is certainly attainable and doesn't necessarily require a perfect run. Your medal cache unlocks some toys and more importantly additional lessons for the games' diverting drum kit mode, which is motivation enough. However, earning 'perfect' certificates on each level is an altogether more Herculean task, because the game doesn't register a perfect unless it's on a level and occasion of its choosing. Every few turns a level is highlighted at random and the player is given three opportunities to put in a perfect run and sods law guarantees that each attempt will coincide with an itchy nose, a telephone call or some other concentration breaking distraction. Metering out 'perfect' opportunities in this way is a frustrating and stupid restriction, which presumably has been imposed to extend the life of the fairly short lived main mode.

Still let's not dwell too long on the main mode's minor shortcomings, since every other aspect of the game is of the highest quality. The music especially is of an astounding clarity and would not be out of place on the DS and with sixteen catchy tunes, some with vocals, squished onto the meagre GBA cart there's no paucity of toe tapping grooves. It's an eclectic mix too, with genres as diverse as hip hop, marching music and Dutch folk alongside some more traditional Japanese ditties and of course J-pop.

The games presentation is also above reproach. The graphics that compliment the musical action are not only bright and well animated, but exhibit a zany visual humour that would curl the lips of even the most sour-faced misery-guts. How zany? Well how does, plucking beard hairs from onions, bouncing a white rabbit on turtle shells, tap dancing monkeys and a bounding Play Yan-kun sound, for starters. It's safe to say that if you haven't thought of it before it's in Rhythm Tengoku. The game's audio and visual cues underpin the button tapping gameplay exceptionally well, and the strong cohesion between both is important during the remix levels where the action is composed of small snippets from previously completed challenges spliced together MTV style. Suffice to say, the whole Rhythm Tengoku experience is a joyously bonkers technicolor cabaret.

Then there's the not insignificant matter of Rhythm Tengoku's drum kit simulator. If you completely suck at playing the drums like me then you'll find the drum mode a bit of a handful: with the shoulder buttons mapped to the cymbals, the d-pad and face buttons to the two bass drum pedals, snare, hi-hat and tom-tom; you need to be able to rhythmically disassociate your digits to get the best out of it. However, help is at hand through a series of drum lessons, where a drum pattern is first demonstrated and then repeated, leading to more and more complex sequences. Cleverly the demo can be slowed down so you can work out just what the hell is going on. Further assistance is provided by a series of lights at the top of the screen, which indicate how far behind or ahead of the rhythm you are. Once you've mastered a few sequences it's time to thump out a live performance on stage with one of three bands or lay down a drum track over one of the game's songs in the recording studio. A variety of kits are available for use once unlocked and your efforts are recorded to the cart for posterity. It's a fabulous toy to play around with, but not quite substantial enough to be a game in its own right. Despite that, mimicking the percussive sequences is significantly more difficult than anything the main game throws out, assuming you're not already a drumming impresario.

Anyone looking to revitalise a dormant Gameboy Advance or aching to buy something to show off their shiny new Micro would be well advised to pick up a copy of Rhythm Tengoku. Indeed, few other hand-held titles can yield as much instant gratification as this, and those who dabble in its charms will be left craving more.