Donkey Kong Country 2 is often considered the best in Rare's DK series. The sequel featured richer sound, further-improved graphics and a more polished bonus room system than the first, and it managed to feel completely new to fans of the original. DKC2 on the GBA provides the first complete portable version of the SNES classic. Diddy's game may have sustained aesthetic damage during the port, but its creamy nugget of fun remains unscathed.

The Donkey Kong Country series initiated the collect-a-thon platforming movement; DKC2 is packed with Banana Coins, Hero Coins, Kremkoins, extra life balloons, Kong letters, and, of course, bananas. SNES veterans will reminisce over the hours spent in the levels' nooks and crannies. Indeed, while Nintendo's hype machine promoted DKC2's amazing graphics and sound in 1995, level design was the game's true star. This is truer than ever on the GBA, with the game's diminished visuals and audio. Practically every level introduces something novel: a new enemy, a new animal buddy, a new type of barrel, etc. Later levels depend on skills honed in similar earlier levels, too: players would not be able to out-climb rising ooze if they hadn't practiced climbing rope in earlier rigging levels.

Those unfamiliar with DKC2 will discover many hours of platforming and exploration in the GBA rendition, and players revisiting the game may have forgotten its genuine difficulty. Later levels require excellent timing and precision—even veterans will make use of collected extra lives. Finding secrets will also take a keen eye, since most are marked via suspicious banana placement or environment details, while accessing clearly-marked bonus rooms often requires advance planning and skill. Rare consistently rewards curiosity and dexterity, even if with a trivial banana bunch. Die-hard fans of the original will complete this remake much more quickly than the newbies, but supposed experts at the game are probably foggy on at least one or two of the game's many Hero Coins. Rare has also hidden photos and golden feathers in the GBA game's levels, though these are not concealed as cleverly as the Hero Coins.

Just as in previous Donkey Kong Game Boy conversions, the graphics are scaled down (at the expense of visual detail) to provide the same field of vision found on the SNES. The game looks grainier as a result, but it prevents unintended "blind zones" that have plagued other console-to-GBA ports. Even so, the original occasionally stooped to jumps of faith and surprising enemy placement to induce cheap deaths or to obfuscate secrets. The rising ooze rigging level mentioned earlier (Slime Climb) is perhaps the worst culprit: the player is forced to speed through a vertically oriented level where he must travel a specific path, but if the player goes too quickly he is likely to slam into a pacing Zinger bee.

With its rich samples and heavy bass, DKC2's musical score wasn't exactly composed with the GBA's abilities in mind. The conversion is somewhat painful, and anyone listening to the GBA version will sense that something is off. Resampled instruments are not nearly as vibrant, and some are outright replaced. All things considered, Rare did a decent job with the limited hardware: while some songs are missing a track or have a wrong-sounding note, most tunes are still enjoyable phantoms of the original's majesty.

Rare's handheld team has included a few new side games to spice things up for Kong experts. Expresso can be raced against three other ostriches in a fun diversion, and the bird's statistics can be improved by collecting golden feathers. Funky now has gyrocopter-based missions where the player must navigate through large side-scrolling areas to deliver an item, rescue Kong relatives, or reconstruct a statue. This game is executed sloppily with clumsy controls, but it isn't horrible and does extend the game's length. The best addition is Diddy's Dash, where players can race through any of the game's levels against a buddy or the clock. Although I was unable to try out this multiplayer mode, I predict competitive platformer racing of Sonic 2 (Genesis) quality.

Donkey Kong Country 2 on the GBA is an above-average port of an excellent game. Rare had to make sacrifices, but the classic gameplay is as addictive as ever. Owners of the original can probably pass on this port, but it is a must-have for anyone who missed out during the Super Nintendo's heyday.