Dragon Forest

Dragon Forest
The lobby of Dragon Forest
First appearance	Diddy Kong Racing (1997)
Latest appearance	Diddy Kong Racing DS (2007)
Greater location	Timber's Island
Owner	Smokey

Dragon Forest is the fourth world in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS version. It is a medieval-themed area featuring castles, villages, and windmills. In the lobby of Dragon Forest, each course door is on a village house, Smokey's door is on a castle and the challenge level is hidden within a tree. The character uses a car to drive around Dragon Forest's lobby. From Timber's Island, the player can enter Dragon Forest by going through the second waterfall left of Wizpig's head statue. However, they need at least sixteen Golden Balloons to enter. Smokey is the boss of Dragon Forest.

Courses

For courses where two or all three vehicles can be used, vehicles listed in bold print are the mandated vehicle during Adventure Mode and the Trophy Race, and other vehicles can only be used in a Time Trial or after the course is completed.

Course	Unlock requirement	Vehicles	Description
Windmill Plains	× 16 (race) × 23 (Silver Coin/Balloon Pop Challenge)	Car, Hovercraft, Plane	Windmill Plains is a race track built in an agrarian landscape with many hills and tunnels. The default vehicle for this track is the plane. Along with hay bales and a lake with a small rocky path, this track features a couple of windmills, which give the track its name. Inside the windmills are usually Item Balloons and Zippers.
Greenwood Village	× 17 (race) × 24 (Silver Coin/Balloon Pop Challenge)	Car, Hovercraft	Greenwood Village is divided into two segments: A part set in a medieval town with frame houses, stone walls and a well, and the other part set in a forest with uneven paths. The segments alternate through log tunnels. The race itself starts on a bridge decorated with flags and the default vehicle is the car. The player should watch out, because some of this track's Zippers might send them right into an obstacle.
Boulder Canyon	× 20 (race) × 30 (Silver Coin/Balloon Pop Challenge)	Hovercraft	Boulder Canyon is traversed by hovercrafts. The racers start off by racing down a river filled with rotating logs, which slows down the racers. The setting then changes to that of a medieval castle. A bell that is found here can be rung which will cause the drawbridge to be risen. This is also necessary to find the key to Smokey Castle. The castle segment then leads to a canal filled with sewage water, until it restarts again at the river.
Haunted Woods	× 22 (race) × 37 (Silver Coin/Balloon Pop Challenge)	Car, Hovercraft	The Haunted Woods course resembles Greenwood Village, except that it adds dungeon-like tunnels to the village and forest settings. The village part features a large fountain in the center, in which racers easily can fall if they do not pay attention. This course is prominent for the ghostly Wizpig phantoms appearing throughout the forest and dungeon, hence the name "Haunted Woods".
Boss race: Smokey Challenge	First match: × 23 + every track completed Rematch: × 38 + every track completed	Plane	The player's character must beat Smokey in a race to obtain a piece of the Wizpig amulet. Like the previous bosses, Smokey has to be raced twice, the first time after completing all the race tracks, and a second time after completing the Silver Coin challenges. The race takes place in a mountain range landscape filled with twisting caves. Stone pillars inside the caves and trees outside the caves might impede the players progress. In addition, Smokey breathes fireballs which will cause the player's plane to crash-land upon contact. Smokey will double the amount of fireballs during the second race.
Challenge Level: Smokey Castle	N64: Boulder Canyon's Wish Key DS: 30 coins	Car	Smokey castle is a battle minigame in Dragon Forest and will become accessible after the player collects the golden key in Boulder Canyon. It takes place in a square-shaped castle. Inside the castle are four treasure chests, each one belongs to one character. The purpose of the treasure chests is to hold bananas which the racers collect. During the game, a racer can hold a maximum amount of two bananas, so after collecting two of them, they should put them into their respective treasure chest. The first race to collect ten bananas wins; the player must win this challenge to obtain a piece of the T.T. amulet. In the DS remake, Bananas were replaced by Taj Tokens, and just like to the other Challenge Levels, it was replaced by a Wish Race against T.T. in the Adventure Mode, being playable only in multiplayer.

Gallery

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  Diddy Kong Racing map artwork

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  Diddy Kong Racing DS in-game map

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  Diddy Kong Racing DS Trophy Race icon

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ドラゴンゾーン[?] Doragon Zōn	Dragon Zone
French	Foret des Dragons[?]	Dragon Forest
German	Drachenwald[?]	Dragon Forest
Italian	Foresta del Drago[?]	Dragon Forest
Spanish	Bosque del Dragón[?]	Dragon Forest