| The final Donkey Kong Country game for the Super NES, DKC3 begins as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are kidnapped by Baron Von K. Rool. Supplied with a primative rowboat by Funky Kong, Dixie Kong and her cousin Kiddy Kong set off to rescue their friends and stop K. Rool once and for all.
Dixie Kong retains her moves from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, while Kiddy Kong brings some new moves to the party. He's been studying Donkey Kong's roll attack, although with his large size he's quite the wrecking ball when he wants to be. He can also roll right over water like a skipping stone. The apes can team up and toss one another around, sometimes opening up secret places in the process.
Many of the items originated in past DKC games. The 1-up balloons are back, as are the bananas, banana coins, barrels, DK Hero Coins, and K-O-N-G letters. New items, such as the rocket barrel and warp barrel, appear here and there to aid the apes. The old Kong clan is back for another round, too. Cranky Kong challenges you to bonus rounds, Swanky Kong runs the bonus game sideshow, Wrinkly Kong dispenses advice and saves the game, and Funky Kong builds new methods of transportation, such as the jetski and hovercraft. Bringing Funky all of the DK Hero Coins enables the funky monkey to build a special vehicle.
New characters to the DKC saga are the Brothers Bear, thirteen bear brothers who will help the Kongs in exchange for a few favors. The brothers are Barter, Baffle, Barnacle, Bazaar, Bazooka, Benny, B'jorn, Blizzard, Blue, Blunder, Boomer, Bramble, and Brash. They live in log cabins around the land and each wait for the Kongs to come to visit. Helping them all is essential to earning the 103% score in the game.
Another new character (Rareware really packed 'em into this game] are the banana birds, little birds with the body of a banana. There are 20 of them hidden around the land, and if Dixie and Kiddy can find them all, then the Mother Banana Bird will help take a swipe at K.Rool
Now, as for the land itself. The stages that the Kongs will traverse in their travels are:
DKC3 has a short learning curve as its controls and play mechanics will be familar to anyone who's played through the previous games in the series. It was released in November 1996, around the same time as the Nintendo 64 (in fact, Wrinkly Kong can be seen playing a Nintendo 64 in her cave while Super Mario 64 theme music plays in the background), so many players passed it up in favor of the new game system on the block. If you've never experienced DKC3 then this is the perfect time to give it a try. It's still available in used game shops, online auctions, and any other place older video games hang out. Happy Kremling Hunting! | 
