Meg Gray     Virtual Posse "Boom boom boom / I said a bam bam bam / no pause in between, / come on let's jam!" No, these are not the opening rhymes to Puff Daddy's new ditty, but are one of the many invitations to rap alongside master rappers in Sony PlayStation's Parappa the Rappa. Parappa is not your conventional video game hero -- sorry folks, but there are no guns, bloodshed, well-built women, or professional sports players here. What the game does have to offer, however, is the opportunity to challenge your rapping skills while enjoying Parappa's quirky and entertaining quest for love with the beautiful Sunny Funny. In the opening scene of the game, Parappa and his other animated friends are enjoying a soda when a couple of bullies show up and decide to spoil their fun. While Parappa tries to find the courage to stand up for his friends, Joe Chin, his competitor for the hand of Sunny Funny, comes in and saves the day. Depressed, Parappa tries to think of a way that he, too, could ward off bullies and thereby impress Sunny. Faced with this dilemma, Parappa gets an idea and exclaims his trademark phrase, "I Gotta Believe!" This starts a series of six rapping scenes in which Parappa must defeat master rappers in order to achieve his various goals. The first is Master Onion, a karate black-belt ready to teach you and Parappa more than just how to chop and kick. By using the control buttons and left and right keys, you must follow the rapping directions at the top of the screen, first presented by the master rapper and then repeated by the player while staying with the beat. The trick is not only to hit the correct buttons in the order they appear but to get down with the groove. If you want to win, you must be the rapper and let the rhythm guide you through each level. As the story progresses, Parappa finds himself in more dilemmas brought on by his desire to impress Sunny in which he must rap to redeem himself. He has to confront an aggressive and strict driving instructor to get his license, work for a pot-smoking hippie frog in a flea market, and learn how to bake a cake from a cooking show. In the fifth level Parappa must battle each of the master rappers for the first access to the bathroom: "Did you check the toilets to the left / Did you check the toilets to the right?" This might seem like a ridiculous scenario, but the point is to make sure that you and Parappa are prepared to advance to the last level, the free-style rap. In this last level, Parappa is invited along with the other rappers to enter an open mic contest. After following the raps of the master rappers, you are left to rap on your own -- the true test of your rapping skills. Although this game is loads of fun and definitely a creative change from the hundreds of sports and action games, it does have its problems. The game employs humorous racial and gender stereotypes. The only female rapper is Cheap Cheap, the cook, and it's hard to miss the degrading characteristics given to Master Onion, the Asian Karate instructor. Also, even though the animation is impressive, the plot and main characters themselves are geared towards younger kids. Despite its minor problems, Parappa is an ingenious, alternative way to waste your time and electricity. Watch out -- the rhymes are sure to stick with you and you will likely find yourself rapping, "In the rain or in the snow / I got the funky flow," or "Cheap Cheap Cheap is the name of my soul / M-I-X the flour in the bowl" even when you are away from your PlayStation.

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