I must admit that, even though platformers are my favorite genre, I didn't know Kao the Kangaroo until "Round 2" was (re)released in Steam. I watched by chance it's trailer and decided to buy it. As I played, it soon became one of my favorite platformers. I really wanted to play the other Kao games, but they were not available. It's difficult to describe the happiness I felt when I found the complete trilogy here. Now, speaking about the games: Kao the Kangaroo, the first one, is a very good platformer. There are many levels, with very different scenarios: snow, desert, sea, ship, harbor, Greece, space, island... Many levels also involve Kao using plenty of vehicles: hang glider, boat, water scooter, space ship, even an alligator! There are also plenty of different enemies and some pretty good bosses. Some have criticized the "tank controls" of the game, but I find this a little unfair. While the modern controls are slightly better, the game is perfectly playable, specially if you like older games. Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2 is my favorite. It improves almost all aspects of the first one: combat, platforming, vehicles, bosses. Again we have plenty of different levels, some with very unique gameplays. There is also a simple but cute story about Kao helping free the imprisoned animals. As mentioned, it became one of my favorite platformers. Kao the Kangaroo: The Mystery of the Volcano, is usually considered the worst. While I must admit it's the weakest of all three, it also has it's positive points. Unlike the other two, this one is set entirely on an island, Kao having to save his pelican friend who fell in a volcano. He is helped by a rather clumsy shaman and has to find 4 artefacts. In terms of gameplay, it's amost identical to round 2. While the levels are less diverse, there are some good additions: a parachute, a virtual reality race and an airplane battle. Overall, I am extremelly thankful to Tate Multimedia and GOG for bringing back Kao!
