A surprising but not unwelcome choice for a modern-day reworking, Alien Syndrome was originally an entertaining arcade blast that owed some of its styling to the likes of Gauntlet. Viewed from overhead (and now moved to an isometric viewpoint), you ran around blasting things and generally having plenty of fun in a gleefully shallow way.

The 2007 update - which marks the 20th anniversary of the original's first appearance - does follow roughly the same template, but it tries to add an enhance where it can. Sadly, it doesn't do this very well at all, shoehorning in, for instance, a fairly unconvincing and bland back-story that's utterly forgettable and fails to really underpin the game anyway.

It has a little more success with the minor RPG elements that it fuses into the proceedings. Here you can customise your in-game character and basically define what their strengths and weaknesses are (with added enhancements available as you make your way through). It does take away from the more action-centred core of the game itself, but it's not an area of Alien Syndrome that's without merit, even if it does feel like a distraction of sorts.

The main game ties itself closer to the original, as you explore the playing area and blast away the succession of enemies who get in your way. And there are a lot of them. Thus, using a combination of the Wiimote and the Nunchuk controller, you soon get down to some solid arcade action.

The control system is really quite good, requiring you to move with the Nunchuk and aim with the Wiimote. It sacrifices some of the inherent simplicity of the original, perhaps, but it's quite an intuitive way to play the game. It does sometimes let you down in the thick of the action, though, and that is a slight problem.

But in spite of the efforts that have gone into updating the game and adapting it to the Wii, the harsh truth remains that Alien Syndrome isn't particularly good. In fact, things are harsher than that: it simply gets boring. The assorted missions you're tasked with are uninspiring and lack originality, while the aliens you battle are, more often than not, simply not very interesting or challenging.

Sure, there are moments that'll test you, but these are sorely lacking in quantity. Even taking advantage of the multiplayer options, where up to four players can join in, doesn't ultimately break the monotony for long.

It's a pity, as there's some short-term entertainment in Alien Syndrome, and evidence of some neat ideas and ambition. But somewhere along the line the purity of the original's game mechanic has been diluted in a muddle of add-ons and underwhelming design, and these are blows it simply can't withstand. A shame.

A fun arcade game of yesteryear turns into a watered down, underwhelming Wii release. It's got some good ideas, but it's just not that much fun to play.