As with the original, the plot goes that a load of monkeys have mistakenly been given helmets and pants (no, really) that imbue them with super intelligence. To make matters worse, a highly intelligent monkey called Specter is controlling them and making them get up to all kinds of mischief. It's your job as Hikaru to recapture the lot, hunting them down throughout a series of themed levels from sunny tropical beaches to icy wastes and on to bleak cities and even a futuristic moonbase. They may all be rather clichéd and generic, but by the same token they're all well designed and interesting. In a similar way, the game engine may not produce the spectacular looks of some of the competition, but it's as smooth and solid as can be, and still produces moments of eye candy and little details that often go unnoticed these days.

As you progress through the levels by capturing a minimum required number of monkeys on each level, the friendly Professor (who's ultimately responsible for this mess) gives you more and more gadgets and weapons to play with. You start with just a stun club and a net, but before long you'll have the excellent radio controlled car, which is used to trigger switches and chase monkeys. The great thing about the RC car is that you can drive it and run alongside (and can you think of another game that you can do that in?). You also get a catapult, monkey radar, a water cannon…. There are several more but I won't spoil it for you. They all have a genuine purpose, and you'll have to use them all at some point throughout the game. Four can be assigned to the symbol buttons at a time, so switching between them soon becomes second nature. For instance, you might find a monkey with the radar, sneak up on him and stun him with the club, and then capture him with the net. When done in a slick manner it looks great, but should a monkey spot you he'll scamper off and you'll experience some truly hilarious (and sometimes infuriating) chases as the clever AI of these pesky little beasts outwits you just as you think you've got them cornered. Some puzzles or boss encounters require the use of more than one gadget or weapon, and figuring out which can be a seriously satisfying experience. I'd question the length of some of the boss battles though, as they seem to go on just that bit too long and stray into the realms of tedium rather being a challenging fight.

   

Between levels you get to spend collected currency on a "Gotcha Box" which dispenses a kind of Kinder Egg every time you dump 10 beans in it. You might get a health up, a new kind of ammo, one of the many concept art or screenshot extras, or even some of the weirdest Japanese fables, "fortunes" and research information you'll ever come across. Considering how much work has gone into this game as far as localisation goes (there are a lot of monkeys with famous European names in here), the game still comes across as being extremely quirky and Japanese in its structure and ethos. Some people will love it, some people will hate it - it's as simple as that.

On the downside (and there isn't much of a downside with this game) AE2 certainly could have been bigger or more difficult, but again it matches up well to the likes of Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank or Sly Raccoon. Unlockable 1 or 2 player mini games certainly add to the lifespan; Dance Monkey Dance is a sort of rhythm action game; Monkey Climber is a thumb and finger twisting climbing and collecting game; and the brilliant Monkey Football could teach some of the more "serious" footie games a thing or two about AI and exciting goalmouth action. In this action-packed comedy version of our national game, you get to pick from a squad of all the monkeys that you've captured in the main game, different attributes and all, so if you have a penchant for monkeys and football (and who doesn't?), or enjoyed the original Ape Escape, then you simply have to experience this game.