Genre: Action/3D Platforming
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Avalanche Software
Release Date: September 21, 2005

The Great Juju Challenge is underway in ethereal Land of Juju once more. This tournament's held once every 60 years, with the goal being to win the protection of the Moon Juju Goddess for that amount of time. Said protection extends to the entire tribe of those represented in the Challenge, so the stakes are high (and the little things such as plot and motivation don't require all that much work to set in place).

Who's competing, you ask? Going down the list: Tak and Lok (who actually is a useful fighter despite his blockheadedness) make up team Pupanunu. The Black Mist Tribe are your prerequisite villains, and rivals to the Pupanunu. There's the Jibba-Jabbas, the otherwise helpful wanna-be rappers extraordinaire, and, finally, the Grammazons, occasionally also known as "Thank You, God, For This Gift Called Life And The Eyes That Came With It."

Our heroes, of course, are on Team Pupanunu, so it is them that you'll be guiding through courses and competitions, the majority of which are on a time limit. If you run out of time on a level, that's all she wrote, and your score depends on how much time is left at the end. The keys are to kick some butt as fast as you can, solve lots of those puzzles with your brain on overdrive, and find as many hourglass icons (which extend your time) as possible. The really high-valued ones tend to be hidden, which makes going out of your way to find secrets and bonus stages still a viable strategy. Nice touch.

The Tak series of games is known for its trademark humor, and The Great Juju Challenge is no exception. The writing and gags are even tighter now, to the point where if you're not laughing by the half hour mark, you're either dead or a high-school teenager. The sound bites that accompany most actions and the periodic banter between Tak and Lok are also hilarious. This is one game you'll be playing through with a smile on your face most of the time.

With the competition-based premise comes a new control dynamic. The gameplay this time around centers on handling a duo of characters, and it's implemented quite well. Instead of merely switching back and forth between characters to take advantage of some slightly differing powers, both Tak and Lok have attributes and a larger amount of commands than most team-based action games. Lok can climb, but he can't swim, and vice versa. Lok's also strong enough to toss Tak up to high ground. These abilities will have to be used inventively and in tandem for progress to be made.

In addition to switching between characters, Tak and Lok can instruct each other to stay put or to follow along, which is essential in solving some puzzles, or giving yourself a second chance should you make a mistake with the character you're currently controlling.

Both characters also have tons of new fighting moves, and more can be unlocked and/or upgraded as time goes on. There'll be just as much fighting as platforming this time around, as Tak and Lok will be swarmed by numbers of enemies previously unseen in even the earlier games, which were no slouches about enemy frequency.

The sound bites and effects have already been covered, but it should be noted that the background music stays true to the form it's had since the old games. Expect nature-riffic tunes and exotic beats throughout your quest.

The graphics engine has been improved, and it certainly shows; gone is the "dithering" effect that the previous games had which made high-quality signals a moot point. Feel free to enjoy this baby through S-Video or component – whatever pleases you. The game is even more vibrant and colorful than the last two outings, if it's possible to believe that. We're talking almost Squaresoft-RPG level right now. The brightly lit forests are almost alive at times, and the majesty of the Land of Juju is apparent at just a glance.

When it all comes down to it, if you like tight platforming with side orders of belly- laughs and good aesthetics, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge (my God, that name is long) is right up your alley. Look for it near the end of September.