If games were made on paper, then Monster Madness would work. A kind of old-school shoot-'em-up with new generation production values, it should have been the very drink that Xbox 360 and PC gamers would be ordering in the midst of a fairly barren gaming summer.

But it was not to be.

Viewed from a top-down perspective, and with its tongue firmly rammed in its cheek, Monster Madness's premise bursts with promise. It follows some teenagers who have to fight off a supernatural onslaught, consisting of enemies of about 50 different flavours. Each enemy is imbued with differing strengths and weaknesses, the teenagers are armed with customisable weapons and vehicles, and up to four players can join in at once. Plus it never really takes thing very seriously. Bliss.

Yet it goes wrong surprisingly quickly. Horrible American voice-acting that would make Barney shudder is never a good place to start, but when you hit the guts of the game there are real problems. First and foremost, there's not actually much to it at all. Sure, it's easy to get to grips with, and in no time you'll be on top of the gaming mechanics, but Monster Madness hits its ceiling very quickly. Bereft of real surprises, you're then left to fight your way through steadfastly uninteresting levels, a boss here and there, and little other than a trigger finger required to work your way through.

While not a direct comparison, granted, even the budget Xbox 360 release Earth Defense Force managed to cram in more compelling action and a greater sense of urgency. Here it feels more like a laid-back meander.

On the plus side, some of the creatures and critters you face are genuinely interesting and some attempt has been made to spice things up with a mini-game or two (even though these, too, ultimately fall flat) and the undercooked weapon customisation. And there's salvation, as you'd hope, in the shape of the multiplayer options, which do liven up the proceedings.

But the end result is a real disappointment. Monster Madness has good ideas at the heart of it, and an old-school ethic that should have served it better than it has. The tragedy is that after setting all of this up, the game itself lacks any real inspiration and it descends eventually into a bit of a bore. And that, ultimately, means that Monster Madness is one to cross off the list. A pity.

A surprising but very definite let-down. In multiplayer mode you may enjoy it, but the single player experience offers little reward.