As to whether or not it's your kind of party, well, you are going to have to read on...

Whacked! is a new release on the Xbox (it's an exclusive) that has one (and only one) goal: to be the game that you pull out when you have a few mates over. The premise is simple - you are a gameshow contestant. The gameshow is a little different, sure, but the format is the same - compete in zany games to win great prizes and embarass your mates.

With a cast of crazy characters (the lovely Lucy, in all her fleshy beauty) and insane minigames (if you can't spell violence, you'll likely enjoy this one), this is not for the whipper snappers in your household. It sets out from the very beginning to prove the old (untrue) adage that "it can't be fun unless it's got mature themes!". Lots of sexual references and stuff, so in all seriousness, try and avoid this as a stocking stuffer for the impressionable.

Single player is a simplistic affair - simply choose a character and play lots and lots and lots of the mini games. Lots and lots, in case that was unclear. Win one to unlock the next - etc. Unfortunately, this is the first time you will notice a fairly severe flaw - the variety of mini games on offer is incredibly limited. There are lots of levels (or "maps" for the FPS community) available and they are well designed for fast and furious gameplay. But you soon get pretty tired of the "run around, find a weapon, fire it at the other guy" style of all the games, with only "Chicken attack" (thousands of chickens attack you, you have to slam them) providing any real variety.

The single player experience is interspersed with cutscenes and zany "advertisements" for non-existent products. While these are mainly for entertainment (and they are, on the whole, pretty amusing), they occasionally offer hints as to secrets you can leverage to your advantage on certain levels. Make sure to watch them carefully...

As to the actual value of the single player experience - it's not that high. It is basically only here so that the game has some sort of playability when the keen gamer wants to practice the various modes for later multiplay action. As such, it does a pretty good job - it sets up the various scenarios and gradually introduces the funkier weapons, while slowly ramping up the gameplay. So long as that is all you are expecting from the solo campaign, you won't be dissapointed.

Multiplayer is where this title is at. With Xbox Live! support (there is no commitment, let alone date for Live! in New Zealand, so don't buy it hoping to play your mates over the 'net in the forseeable future), system link support and split screen ability, it's obvious right from the get-go that this game is intended for party action. With the right atmosphere and just the right amount of party-juice in your system, you can reasonably expect the smack-talk to begin and lots of egging on and excitement during the games themselves. With the zany weapons, characters and quips, this game really works as a spectator sport while at the same time being easy for a novice gamer to pick up and enter the fray on (relatively) even terms.

Split screen, your character is quite a distance away from the camera (necessary to help see what's happening to their immediate left & right) so unless you have a mammoth (50") screen, expect to squint a little to see what, precisely, they are up to.

Unfortunately, the limited variety of minigames on offer significantly impacts the multiplayer experience too. Don't expect this title to be spinning away in your xbox for extended periods at any one sitting - the punters will soon tire and wish to move on to something else.

Graphically, Whacked! is more than adequate. Some nifty little touches from time to time along with the (mostly) neat cutscenes and other video lifts this game to be quite the looker - hardly a "look at what my Xbox can do!" title (see: Splinter Cell if that is what you are looking for) but not a slacker either. Aurally it is up to the task, but there are no special audio refinements - it does what it does and it does it well, 'nuff said.