It's a craze. Dance simulation games are everywhere. They're in the arcades, in your house, and there are even competitions to see who can "dance" the best......or make themselves move around like they're having a seizure. When you think of a dance simulation game, the first game that jumps into your mind is probably DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). But there are others out there, which can be very refreshing to DDR fans willing to try something different.

Mastiff sent us Pump It Up: Exceed for PlayStation 2, and we love it. It has over 100 songs, each one extremely catchy and extremely easy to get stuck in your head....forever. The music ranges from Korean pop (like BoA, my favorite) to popular American songs (like Earth, Wind and Fire, Crystal Method, and not to mention Elvis).

This game, unlike some other dance games, is supposed to get you to dance the way you would in a club. I have to say, this probably only applies to people who actually practice looking good while playing this game, because if I were to go out to a club and "dance" the way I do when playing it, I would probably get thrown out. There's more stomping involved than dancing, although it is possible to make the moves look good if you know what you're doing.

There are five levels in the game: normal (which is way hard enough for me), hard, crazy, freestyle, and nightmare. Most DDR fans say that Pump It Up is much harder than DDR, which doesn't surprise me considering I can barely do normal. There are five buttons on the mat, unlike DDR which has four, and these five are in positions that make more sense and leave room for you to interpret how you get from one place to the other.

Also, for better or for worse, this game is ungodly addictive. Ever since I opened it, I've been playing it every day. There are upsides and downsides to this: it's a great workout - although it will leave you a bit sore the first few days - but every time you close your eyes, you see the little moving arrows indicating what buttons to step on next. This can be a slight problem when you're trying to sleep.