The original Parappa the Rapper first appeared on the Playstation back in 1997 and at the time was a revolution that more or less started the music genre craze by flawlessly integrating music and gameplay in a videogame and inspiring a slew of music-based titles that Konami later refined into their massively popular Beatmania franchise. The original title used a unique visual style that had not been seen in videogames before, two-dimensional flat "paper-like" characters that roamed around an animated three-dimensional gaming world. In addition, it featured a soundtrack of catchy and funky tunes that stayed with gamers for months after finishing the game. Parappa the Rapper was then followed by Um Jammer Lammy which took a similar approach to the original but received less attention from the gaming public due to its "weird" nature. Here we are at the beginning of 2002 and Parappa is back in the house on the Playstation 2. The second outing has taken the best parts of the original and Um Jammer Lammy and fused them together to make a somewhat shallow yet fun game to play.

The graphical presentation is a tighter version of what was presented in the last two games. The paper-like nature of the characters are hilarious yet work perfectly for this game. This time the surrounding environments seem to be teeming more with life and detail. All of which makes the overall presentation a high quality production. Rodney Greenblat's cast of both new and familiar characters join Parappa on his quest to rid his town of the Evil Noodle Syndicate. Parappa games are not really about the visuals as much as they are about the music contained within them. The soundtrack this time out features new hip-hop sounds and catchy lyrics produced by Masaya Matsuura, creator of the original Parappa the Rapper. The voice work is also highly competent and resembles a highly produced cartoon.

The gameplay was unique in the original, and while it may be somewhat dated now, the same formula makes Parappa 2 easy to pick up and play for everyone. The plot this time out goes something like this: Parappa must perfect his rapping skills to stop the Evil Noodle Syndicate's plot to take over the world. The Syndicate is trying to turn the entire town into noodles. Why? We haven't got a clue. The plot may seem a little twisted but that's what makes these games quirky yet fun. Hip Hop sounds and upbeat lyrics allow Parappa to rap his way through each level while learning valuable life lessons as he grows into a "man". Parappa wants to become a "man" in order to impress his girlfriend. Utilizing the controls for these sequences is very easy to use. Ultimately the gameplay best resembles a "Simon Says" type mechanic.

The game offers 8 musical levels of gameplay in a variety of modes including Single Player, Vs. Player and Vs. Computer. While the single player experience is rather short, players will spend a lot of time in the revamped two-player mode. Here players are able to freestyle a bit throughout a track, which forces their friends to follow along to the changes constantly being made on the fly. In addition, there are new practice and bonus levels to be found throughout the game to hone your rapping skills. These extra levels do add some variety to single player mode.

Parappa the Rapper 2 is a great alternative to the frantic paced music action found in Rez and Frequency. For seasoned veterans of the music genre, Parappa 2 may be a little on the light and short side. However, younger players in the household will surely enjoy what Parappa the Rapper 2 has to offer.