My mother has a lot to answer for; during the first twelve years of my life I actually thought that one could be 'big-boned' and that the 'puppy fat' would go away without any effort on my part. This way of thinking stayed with me further into my life and now, being a rather flabby twenty-four year old, I can't look into the mirror without thinking that all my excess weight will simply float away one day. It's only recently that I have considered the gym as a viable use of my time and have discovered that the price of fitness is simply far too high. As well as eating into my valuable gaming time, the cash commitment is crippling. This has forced me to look elsewhere in order to fight the flab, and thus far, none of the sure-fire techniques have worked - even the electro-muscle-stimulator failed to reduce my ever-growing gut!

So it was with a good deal of excitement that I loaded up the latest in a long line of fitness gimmicks - Konami's Dancing Stage Megamix. Commonly touted as a dancing game, Konami's range of novelty boogying titles has been a hit in the arcades, accessible to just about everyone of sound body and great fun to boot. My prime concern, however, was whether or not this game would be fun enough to warrant sustained play and pick up the pace of my workout regime.

You may think all my weight issue ranting pointless but I can assure you that one of the best things about this type of game is the way you work up a sweat without realising. It really isn't worth picking this up unless you intend to use a dance mat, however and playing DSM on the joypad, despite being significantly easier, is utterly without merit. Bouncing around on a malodorous plastic mat, timing your steps to the arrows on screen, is a wonderful crack, especially with a mate and this is where the game comes into its own. Regardless of the tunes or the wacky graphics, the fact remains that if you like those pee-yourself giggle sessions with your mates, DSM delivers in spades.

With 27 tracks, DSM offers a range of songs, the most well known being Kylie's 'Love At First Sight' and JXL's 'A Little Less Conversation'. Other than that, the beats range from garage to Japanese new metal, with the emphasis being on house and techno. With a few exceptions they are enjoyable tunes and vary from 98 bpm smooching melodies, to 300 bpm ankle-twisting monsters. Each of the beats comes in four difficulty levels and a few unlockables, including a non-stop mode and roulette add a little variation but the main thrust of the game is very much about out-doing your buddies with some groovy dance floor moves. The amount of tracks offered in this latest instalment may disappoint fans of the genre and I have heard murmurs amongst the die-hard that these tunes aren't up to the usual standard. For my part I enjoyed them and found that even the ones that weren't immediately to my liking grew on me.

The background graphics fit nicely with the tunes and never detract from the all-important arrows. The appearance of the whole package is incredibly lively and fits nicely with beer-n'-games nights. It even features the song lyrics, for the more karaoke oriented in the crowd. If you've ever seen the arcade versions of any of Konami's similar games, you'll know how vibrant these games are and this is no different - wacky, but well suited.

In addition to the main game mode, workout mode offers a calorie counting system that not only tracks the energy used in a single dance but also over time, allowing you to monitor how much fat you're burning. This is definitely a practical option for those who wish to do some aerobic workouts at home and you might even get your girlfriend to go halves if you're clever enough.

All in all, this is only worth the money if you do it wholeheartedly; the versus mode is a wonderful laugh and the workout mode is a good alterative to those fear inducing gyms. The RRP of £25, plus two dance mats at around £15 each makes this a little more pricey than most but it's well worth it for the extra fun involved. This is very much a physical title and, as I said before, you do work up a hefty sweat in a matter of minutes, regardless of the tune.

There isn't anything wrong with Dancing Stage Megamix. Some may find the choice of tracks unsuited to their tastes and some may not see the enjoyment in sliding around on a squeaky plastic mat but the fun I had while playing it was a different experience to most games; as soon as you step up, you can't help smiling. Soon that smile turns into a chortle and from that point it's chuckles all the way. Combine that with alcohol and there're buckets of fun to be had. My only advice would be to have a go in the arcade and see if you think that would translate to your living room. Either way, there's not much more fun to be had than collapsing in a gigglesome heap after bouncing around to the music from that groovy Nike advert.

Reviewed by Tom Leclerc for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).