The wise guys at Rare, who never saw a hit movie they didn't want to imitate, have tossed bear Banjo and bird pal Kazooie head-first into a goofy Terminator parody.

After another defeat at the hands of the bear-bird duo in Banjo-Tooie, the spirit of Grunty has been brought back by her stooge Klungo and installed in a "Mecha-Grunty." The wicked witch, who sounds like a poor man's Dr. Seuss with her bad rhymed couplets, then bird-naps Kazooie and vanishes into the past. Big-headed witch-doctor Mumbo-Jumbo works his magic to send Banjo back in time to save Kazooie and thwart Grunty's dastardly schemes once and for all.

The creative well is quickly running dry in this series. Anyone who has played the two N64 games will quickly recognize many of the same elements, right down to the strained humor and mania for collecting items. For anyone new to this series, though, Banjo-Kazooie is a fun romp, brought to life with the big, bold graphics Rare is famous for.

Five large levels to explore

Bright, colorful graphics

As in the previous two games, you need to collect music notes, Jinjos and Jiggies

Mole Bozzeye teach many moves, including the Pack Whack, swimming and climbing

Straight-on overhead view

Variety of minichallenges