Konami's home versions of its popular Dance Dance Revolution series yanked gamers off their couches and had them performing funky moves in the privacy of their own home. Now with the latest version, DDR Extreme, fans have another reason to keep burning calories, but now they can actually watch themselves cut a rug via Sony's EyeToy. The use of Sony's camera isn't as fun to use as it sounded at E3, but the game is a solid entry in the popular Bemani series.

Any PS2 owner knows that Microsoft's Xbox got the short end of the stick with DDR Ultramix. Its pathetic track selection and limited number of unlockable songs made it quite disposable, meaning that if you know your stuff, it's obvious that the series truly shines on Sony's console, and this rings true with DDR Extreme. The game features over 65 songs, many of which need to be unlocked, making it the type of game that constantly rewards dedication. Unfortunately, many of these songs have appeared in other versions, so if you've been importing these games from Japan (or even playing the few that have come to North America), you're going to find yourself in very familiar territory. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't a good deal of cool tunes to dance to. The game features YMCA, Like a Virgin, Ladies' Night, Waiting for Tonight, the theme to the film The Never Ending Story, and The Reflex, among others. It's the type of selection we've come to expect from the series, and if anything, Konami has never forgotten its audience.

In addition to an impressive track list, DDR Extreme comes fully loaded with all sorts of modes for one or more players. At the very top of the list is Party Mode, a new option that lets you compete against friends with or without Sony's EyeToy camera peripheral. As I just mentioned, you don't need the camera to enjoy the mini games, but you'll be limited in what you can play. There are seven mini games, and each requires that you do something totally ridiculous but in a good way. Hyper Dash is a side scrolling race where you hit left and right to make your guy go faster than your opponent's, and Feeding Time requires you to press buttons to send the correct food to the appropriate animal (fish to cat, for example). Those two are the games you can play without the camera, but if you want to get really crazy, the EyeToy is the only way to play. Watch me Dance just allows you to check out what you look like attempting to play the game, Hands and Feet forces you to touch icons while dancing, Clean the Screen has you franticly moving about in order to keep the arrows from getting covered by grime, Coconut Panic requires you use your feet to shake trees and catch coconuts with your hands, and Magical Ball lets you smash blocks and gems with balls.

Even though these modes somewhat take away from the DDR experience, they at least add something new to the mix. However, in order to play them you'll need to make sure you have enough space for one or two dance mats as well as great lighting so the camera actually works correctly. Lastly, you better make sure your TV is in such a spot so you can see your body. Basically, it's a huge pain in the butt getting everything set up, and after a while, I became so frustrated that I chose to play DDR the normal way, which is what many gamers are probably going to do.

As far as the actual mini games are concerned, they're fun diversions, but by no means the primary reason to purchase the game. If you didn't have the coordination to dance, having to dance AND use your hands is going to take some getting used to, or you're going to quit early.

In addition to Party Mode, there's Mission Mode (complete certain objectives while dancing), Nonstop Mode, Challenge Mode, Endless Mode (dance to all the songs in a nonstop loop), Lesson and Training Mode, Edit Mode (customize a dance routine for any song in the game), and Workout Mode, where you can see how many calories you've burned. Workout Mode is pretty cool because the game can convert your workout session and compare it to other forms of exercise, such as swimming, jogging, and jumping rope. Believe me, in the game world, and possibly the entire aerobic industry, there's no better workout than a few solid hours of DDR.

DDR Extreme's graphics continue the tradition of the previous PS2 DDRs in that the backgrounds contain video and all sorts of neat effects. The characters are still whacky looking, but are now cel-shaded. This technique gives them a sharper look over their predecessors, though it really doesn't matter. If you're playing on the harder difficulties, not only are the characters absent, but you'll be too busy following the arrows to pay attention to the backgrounds.

Despite its monotony, I enjoyed DDR Extreme, but my satisfaction was akin to eating a Big Mac for the millionth time. It's good, but I already knew what it was going to taste like before I ate it, as well as what I'd feel like afterwards. The EyeToy support isn't as fun as it could've been, but Konami deserves points for trying to inject some life into a series that, while excellent, hasn't really introduced any ground breaking innovations. Now all we need is for them to make DDR EyeToy Karaoke Revolution Extreme and the Bemani world will be complete.