Our import copy of Ape Escape 2001 PlayStation 2 arrived today in a flurry of monkey cries and vacuum noises. The follow-up to the monkey-wrangling classic Ape Escape for the PSOne, AE 2001 offers enhanced graphics and tweaked gameplay. Less a true sequel than a refinement of the game, Ape Escape 2001 follows the basic premise of the original game: chasing down hordes of monkeys. This time, however, there's a new twist: returning lead character Spike no longer catches the monkeys he chases down--he just vacuums off their pants. Yes, pants. Hey, we just report on this stuff.

　　The handling is a bit of a departure from the original game, which garnered attention for its required use of both of the PSOne's analog sticks. Control is now a bit more conventional--the left stick controls Spike's direction, while the right stick aims and fires collected power-ups. The X-button triggers both a normal jump and a double jump if timed properly. The square button triggers Spike's vacuum. Aside from just relieving monkeys of their pants, the vacuum can be used to suck in the naked simians and launch them as projectiles. In later levels, target practice with pants-less monkeys is essential to progressing.

　　Due to the more monkey pants-centric goals, gameplay is now a bit different. The game's world map now has a branching path structure. You go through levels and collect a certain number of pants from monkeys before time runs out. Once collected, the pants trail you and can be taken back by the monkeys. A large washing machine sits in every level and lets you deposit your collected pants into it. Once the required number of pants has been laundered, the level is cleared. For added points and challenge, you can choose to hold off depositing pants in the washer until you've collected all of them.

　　Obviously, monkeys in the game are not content to have their clothes sucked off and can retaliate by disguising themselves or beating on Spike. To fend them off, the vacuum can be used to hit them, forcing the monkeys to drop heart icons, which replenish Spike's health. Power icons like bombs, which stun monkeys in an area around them, or hearts, which attract the monkeys with a banana, can be found.

　　In addition to its tweaked gameplay, Ape Escape 2001 offers graphics that are more polished than those of its 32-bit predecessor. While there's nothing jaw-dropping here, everything is solid and runs smoothly--albeit in rather low poly fashion. Character models don't look too different from those in the original game and move a bit stiffly. Fortunately, the game's visuals are overshadowed by the addictive gameplay and bizarre action. No official word yet on whether US gamers will be disrobing monkeys in the near future.