Back in the 90's SEGA were the undisputed arcade kings and in 1999 offered gamers a bizarre trek into the world of a Safari ranger with the titular Jambo Safari! Just as now, things wouldn't be SEGA if there wasn't some kind of action packed gameplay mechanic thrown in there too, and thus the Jambo Safari of old (and new) had players racing around the plains of Africa whilst lassoing animals for points. Hardly Animal Hospital, but there we go.

In this reviewer's humble opinion, Jambo Safari was never meant to leave the arcades. It was perfectly suited to slotting in a few coins, racing around in a giant zebra seat, catching as many animals as you can and then puking that litre bottle of Coca Cola all over your friends shoes. (Sorry Tina!) So forgive our trepidation when we slid Jambo into our Wii... us 90's teens are so cynical these days!

The first thing that hits you is the title screen scream of "JA-HAM-BO SAFARIII". Now, am I right in thinking that I know the title of the game? Why on earth do those arcade ports need an announcer at every opportunity? Fair enough for gameplay announcements, but for title screens? Have I got cataracts? No...

Zebra stripes... too cool for school!

So I turned the volume down, ignored the twee panpipes and watched the title screen swoop around a paddock area. Looking like an early PS2 title, on the graphical front I knew it was going to be a bumpy ride from here on out. Here though SEGA deserve some credit *chortle*. You see, a 90's arcade title running on the (then) awesome NAOMI arcade board looked hotter than Carmen Electra back in the day. Nowadays, a NAOMI title looks like someone stole the details. SEGA have therefore given Jambo Safari a facelift. Shame then that the developers were given a PS2 development kit to work from.

It does the job, nothing more. But with as much texture as ice cream and with a ton of repetition everything begins to look rather, well, drab. I find this a crime considering the source material. With more animals than an 8yr olds birthday party and more undergrowth than a unshaven armpit, SEGA should have used the Wii's horsepower to at least expand the African setting. Instead though, they focused on other areas of the safari experience.

Jambo was always about insta-thrills. Arcade addiction at its best. But with Jambo Safari coming into the living room SEGA probably knew it needed something a little... more. So they ripped a ton of content from the 'make games longer' book. Wii owners now have player customisation which focuses on finding and collecting new outfits for your park ranger. Take that shallow gameplay!

Jambo also features a nod to Nintendogs and houses a full-on 'care centre' where you can prod, poke, name and treat your animals. It's a feature which establishes the package as something a little more juicy and ties into the core game content nicely too. You see, animals come with emotions too y'know. See a sad animal or an animal with an exclamation mark above their head and you're going to have to capture and send it to your care centre. Here you can then treat the beastie via some truly mind-numbing mini games. Mind you, you can just stroke the mane of a lion all day with nothing more than a flick of your wrist. One of my personal life goals completed then...

You'll be doing a ton of chasing...

When you're done with this aspect of the game you'll be rewarded with ranger points. It is here where the bulk of the title lies. Points mean prizes and more areas to unlock, outfits to play with and well... the rest were so exciting I clearly blanked them from my memory.

So you've treated some animals and caught them on the end of a lasso. All done in a nicely constructed way of course. Jambo houses an addictive core you see. And 'aint no care centre gonna take that away from SEGA. As you rip around the plains into streams and gullies you'll find that the nunchuck control of your jeep is tight and responsive and when you start bombing alongside a giraffe/lion/hyena/other safari beastie, you'll actually find yourself enjoying yourself. The pure simplicity of Jambo's arcade roots rears its head in fits and spurts revealing a title that is actually a unique experience.

As you near an animal it may run away or (if angry) charge you. As you chase an animal your driver will start twirling a lasso. Here you must gesture outwards to catch the animal. You will then stick with the captured target until you gain enough ground to pull up alongside the target. You'll then get a hilariously over the top cinema of your ranger pulling in your prize. I'm not the greatest Attenbrough fan but I'd love to see the old boy reign in a Lion on a piece of rope... Film that in HD!

It's Indiana Jones!

Apart from brutalising (or fishing for) animals with your lasso you may have to take photographs, find individuals or even dart gun certain creatures or polluting barrels. (Dr. Robotnik!? *shakes fist!*) The missions can vary but if you stick through the repetition you'll find the moments where the game threatens to become more. Experience says you'll probably move on. And, as you upgrade your Landrover (ooo, liscenced vehicles!) to something a little more, shall we say, 'imaginative', by then you'll have reverted to lassoing a few animals in a row to kick start the arcade mode – where you can go for points within a time frame. Just like old times!

As a final word, Jambo also houses a multiplayer mode, but please note that its controls are as responsive as the deceased and contains content that is as misguided as it is ridiculous (meerkats eat fruit?) you'll laugh, trust us. You're better off staying far, far away from these shockers.

So as Jambo Safari threatens to reinvent itself it becomes a jack of all trades, though master only of what it originally was: an arcade cabinet that this old codger loved back in the day but one that should have probably stayed there.