There is a lot to like about a video game that encourages family participation and ends up serving as a sweet little entertainment package on family fun night. And Buzz! Junior Jungle Party is a title that does just that. Sony’s PlayStation 2 title comes packed with an assortment of mini games, all within the context of a bigger game, that will have players laughing and working the Buzz! controllers rapidly in an effort to outscore one another.

While geared for ages 10 and older, the game has a few failings – most notably in the area that covers explanation of the controls for the individual contests. This is not so much about fastest fingers on the buzzer, a la Buzz! Mega Quiz, but rather about working skills and gather the most points possible.

For 1-4 players, Jungle Party takes place in a jungle, with players taking on the role of monkeys. There are 40 minigames and, likes it trivia sibling, the game uses a special controller that comes packaged with the title. Some of the games bear a similarity to each other – like the Bubble Bath game and on the one surrounding the lion’s mouth. The goal is essentially the same in each – get away with doing something for as long as you can before an overseeing animal (gorilla and lion) catches you. In Bubble Bath, you are in a pool with a gorilla that is dozing off. Your goal is to pass gas in the water, creating bubbles, but to stop before the gorilla rouses and catches errant bubbles popping from in front of you. If you get caught, you lose points. The longer you succeed, the more points you get. In the game with the lions, you insert your head into the lion’s open mouth. You are supposed to remove it before the jaws clap shut.

Other game types involve a race in which you have to jump hurdles with the right colored buttons, or throw coconuts at the other monkeys. There is a banana-themed Western shootout, several based on the whack-a-mole theme, and even a game in which four hippos appear from behind dressing room curtains with three dressed similarly and one dressed differently (and you have to quickly determine which one is not dressed like the others – some are very obvious, and some are less so).

The game can be played a couple of ways:

• Choose from your favorite games to develop short, medium, long or custom tournaments and let your friends compete nose to nose in your favorite mini-games.

• Single-player mode offers a simplified version of multiplayer, enabling gamers to practice skills and earn higher scores.

The main problem, especially for adults it seems, comes in the way the game handles the pre-mini game instructions. They are not always clear.

The game employs an immature, which is different than juvenile, sense of humor. The music is light and the banter from the announcer is good. The graphics are cartoonish and fun.

At its core, this is a simple game. But it does deliver in the laughter department, and that is the most important feature of the game. Buzz! Mega Quiz is a cerebral test, but Junior Jungle Party is more of a reflexive exercise that asks players to compete against themselves almost as much as with others. There is a single-player element, but this is a game that is definitely more entertaining when it is shared with others.

Gameplay: 7.4
It is a simple concept, with a lot of games to play. The game challenges players in a reflexive way, not cerebral. The only problem is that the controllers might be a little too large for younger hands.

Graphics: 7.0
Cute cartoon-flavored graphics. The animations work well and the whole look is bright and lush.

Sound: 7.0
What one would expect from a title like this.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 7.2
Some nice mini games and generally a light and entertaining atmosphere.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Much more entertaining playing with someone else rather than in the single-player format.   

Overall: 7.2
While some of the humor may not be overly appropriate for younger players, this is a family-style outing that will certainly entertain.