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What's more, it's disappointing to see how little the characters can interact with the environment. Sure, you can kick or barge your way through certain barriers or blast through the occasional balcony, but a lot of the time you can throw grenades or blast gas tanks all over the shop and barely anything will collapse or crumble. Your guy can vault over some obstacles, but not over the many waist high barriers dotting the level. You can't help wishing you were in control of someone more athletic, who could do more than simply run, roll, aim and shoot.

Multiplayer is a bit of a mixed bag, too, though not in a way that's directly the fault of the developers. At the moment, most players seem to be going for the straight deathmatch game, which doesn't really play to The Club's strengths. The alternative Siege and Fox Hunt modes are more interesting and enjoyable, so we can only hope that more pick them up as time goes on.

Coming to a final conclusion on this one is very difficult indeed. After playing the demo I wanted to love The Club - and in a way I do. It can be compulsive, interesting and challenging in the same way as a great old-school arcade shooter. On the other hand, I keep feeling that there's something missing. Couldn't it have the destructible environments and cool character moves of, say, Stranglehold? Couldn't the levels be a bit more exciting and distinctive? Couldn't it just have action replays and a touch more glamour? I reckon that for every 100 of you out there, about 30 will hate The Club, another 50 will like it. The remaining 20 will really connect with it and won't rest until they have their name near the top of at least one leaderboard. In the end, I'll have to leave it to you to mull it over, work out which you are, and vote with your wallet accordingly. The Club is an establishment that won't accommodate everyone, but that's OK. After all, it wouldn't be right if just anyone could join.

Verdict

A new and very interesting take on the 3D shooter, but the emphasis on score-building and an overall lack of glamour are guaranteed to put off a large section of the audience.

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