Truth be told, anyone swinging a pair of maracas without provocation or inclination may be faulted with the loss of mental faculties. It looks odd, especially when the shaking is fevered or exaggerated to abnormal proportions. Maracas are a specialized percussion instrument which isn't as common as say, a guitar leaning against the wall or a piano, stately and serene in it's grandeur. No, maracas are usually reserved for the occasional celebration and to supply the rattle dazzle to any festive musical piece.
   Sega breathes new life into a pair of maracas. Samba de Amigo 2000 remains true to the original with a bounty of new songs in addition to all of the original tunes. A new gameplay element is the damnable maracas swing positioning, like an airplane runway master, where you must ape the moves onscreen and contort your posture to unnatural poses. A love mode is a fun way for couples to determine amorous compatibility where the ear to ear grinning monkey is joined by a blue eyed senorita who shakes a mean tambourine. Samba is fun, silly, and incredibly goofy looking in action but it's spirit is unmatched by anything else on the market now.