Donkey Kong has been "kongnapped" by the nasty K. Rool and the Kremlings, and it is up to Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong to save him.
All the familiar enemies and helpful friends return, along with some new characters, including the wise Wrinkly Kong who will teach you some important lessons in gameplay. Again the emphasis is on banana collecting, whereas every one hundred bananas make one extra life. Apart from beating K. Rool and rescuing Donkey Kong, there are extra missions that can be completed. Collect enough K. Rool Kremkoins to open up the routes to the Lost World, while every level has a hidden Hero Coin to collect.
The Game Boy Advance version also includes a bonus game mode with three minigames (Expresso's Racing, Funky's Flights, and Bag a Bug) plus a time attack mode called Diddy's Dash (complete levels as fast as possible as Diddy Kong). This version of the game also includes an additional boss (Kerozene) and two more collectibles (Golden Feathers that increase Expresso's stats in the Expresso's Racing bonus game and photographs that fill out a scrapbook). Due to the addition of the bonus games and the scrapbook 28 more Hero Coins were also added.