Do you stutter uncontrollably? are you a singing vicar or a Scottish bird in a tent? If so then this may be the game for you!

When I was at school, pumped-up pretty boys who spent their spare time dancing and singing together kept it quiet and behind closed doors; now they enter Pop Idol on their way to becoming the next manufactured chart clone fed to the ever-gullible public.

You can only imagine my delight when asked to review this game; I am too old to enter Pop Idol myself and have a singing voice like a bath draining, so this is the closest I will get to the real experience. Though I'm not bitter, honest.

Armed with a large tin of Alka Seltzer and a sick bag I pushed on, loaded up the game and even sat through the introduction sequence (Bah-Doo-Wah).

After that, the first step to One-Hit Wonderland is to create your own profile choosing your character's name, hair, skin colour, style and even voice. My attempt to create a cross between Rick Waller and Pee Wee Herman was thwarted and I had to make do with a goateed, balding mincer with a voice similar to Borat (Yashimash!).

DR Leevil votes off the PS2 version of pop Idol.

The game starts with a couple of audition rounds and eventually onto eliminator heats and then the final. Gameplay is similar to a couple of Playstation oldies "Parrapa the Rappa" and "Um Jamma Lammy", i.e. pressing the correct keys (or combinations) in time to the music and at the centre of the cross-hairs on screen.

Pressing the right keys at the right time means your singing is good, being in time and in tune, but make mistakes and your artiste starts sounding like Celine Dion wearing a snorkel.

As in the show, the judge's opinion comes next. Simon Cowell and two generic presenters (no Foxy, Waterman or the blonde lady here!) give their opinion of your performance. I found this bit really bland and just padding for the game.

After that comes the audience vote where you are either voted out or are into the next round. Yippee! Between rounds you get to choose your next outfit (Oh the excitement!) and is suppose that kids (and men who like Judy Garland) will all love the dressing up their performer for their next performance.

Then onto the next round, which is identical to the last one but with faster button pressing, another few rounds and that's it. I won on my first go, it is that easy!

Being fair though (which unfortunately I must) I thought this game was probably OK for youngsters and those of you out there that enjoy Pop Idol.

For those of us that are a bit older and never wonder whether they should have blonde highlights across the top of their Mohican-cum-mullet hairdo I would steer well clear of this game.

Overall probably not the biggest pile of rubbish on this particular bandwagon, but uninspiring and does not hit the high notes.

4/10

DR Leevil