With 2007 looking like the PS2's last big Christmas, I think it's safe to say that the SingStar series will be one of the many things that the console is fondly remembered for. The original SingStar was undoubtedly one of the console's most original and innovative games; packaged with two USB microphones, it brought the karaoke experience to your living room and, in true gaming spirit, made it competitive by scoring each player for their vocal dexterity, sounding the death knell for the usual method of deciding the best karaoke star - namely the classic pub argument! It's also been one of the more successful PS2 titles; the original SingStar shifted massive amounts of copies and with the SingStar engine refined came the 'sequel' titles, each bringing thirty new songs with themes such as Rocks, Bollywood, 80s and 90s.

SingStar R&B is the latest release to the series, bringing together songs from the startlingly broad R 'n' B genre. Modern urban stalwarts like Rihanna, Sugababes and Black Eyed Peas all feature alongside longstanding black music legends like Dianna Ross and Luther Vandross, then there are the strange additions - like the quirky Edwin Starr and the career plagiarist Mark Ronson. In truth, the song selection could have been a little better. As has happened before in SingStar, some of the modern artists aren't represented by their more famous songs. Rihanna's track, for example, isn't Umbrella or Shut Up And Drive, but a back-catalogue number called We Ride. There's also a feeling that SingStar has tried a little too hard to make sure the game is accessible - or, more likely, commercially viable - to all ages; hence the mishmash of songs from every decade, be they new or old school r 'n' b.

The gameplay, however, is a little smoother - as smooth perhaps as the lines in Jazzy Jeff's Summertime, one of the most party-friendly of the songs included. The lyrics are displayed onscreen alongside the original music videos (note how the modern r 'n' b stars look so much more suave and stylish then their jewellery-laden, garish-suit-clad ancestors!), and the game scores you on your pitch and tempo, plus (for songs that make use of the slightly clumsy rap meter) your pace. The single player game is a bit bare. Yes, there's the option to practice different songs (and, particularly with the high speed raps, practice certainly comes in handy), but there's still no Career mode. If High School Musical: Sing It (a game aimed primarily at pre-pubescent girls) can manage a half-exciting career mode then you really have to wonder why SingStar is still fobbing us off with a boring practice mode!

SingStar R&B's strength, however, is as usual with it multiplayer mode. First off, there's the basic competitive mode; find someone to play against, pick a song and try to score higher than they can. It's an extremely simple yet enthralling game mode, yet it's not the best offering on board. Pass The Mic - SingStar's epic two to eight player aural Olympics - is clearly the most exciting way to play. The players split into two teams (blue and red, to correspond with the different coloured microphones), type in their names and then brace themselves, because what follows next is a variety of games - the basic one-on-one dual, a duet mode where players must work together to score the most points, the eponymous Pass The Mic where each of the eight players is called to the mic to represent their team in a karaoke marathon and Keep It Up, where the two players mustn't let their momentum drop below a certain level.

It's this variety that makes SingStar such an essential party game. Of course, it's simple to pick up and play, but it's the engaging mix of game modes that makes it fun to keep playing for hours at a time. This Christmas you'll see lots of games posturing as the ultimate family game, but with all these exciting game modes on board, SingStar R&B (or indeed any of the recent SingStar titles) is one of the few games that can live up to this accolade. And, if any of them are reading, there's plenty here for those who take singing a little more seriously; at the end of each bout, SingStar offers a score breakdown showing how each player did on tempo, timing and hitting the golden notes - perfect for a bit of vocal coaching.

SingStar R&B is everything you'd expect from the latest chapter in the SingStar saga; the familiar, sharp SingStar gameplay, with a strong, varied selection of R&B tracks. This is the final chapter in the success story of SingStar's PS2 conquest and makes for a great swansong - but don't worry, because there's a sequel on its way; 7th December 2007 sees the launch of SingStar on the PS3, a next generation karaoke game that features new gaming modes, a massive catalogue of songs and the opportunity to download even more songs to enjoy. And I, for one, really cannot wait!

Full Tracklist for SingStar R&B

Amerie - 1 Thing
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Anastacia - I'm Outta Love
Beverley Knight - Come As You Are
Black Eyed Peas - Pump It
Chris Brown - Yo (Excuse Me Miss)
Christina Milian - AM 2 PM
Corinne Bailey Rae - I'd Liked Too
Destiny's Child - Bootylicious
Diana Ross & The Supremes - Baby Love
DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - Summertime
Edwin Starr - WAR
En Vogue - My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)
The Four Tops - Can't Help Myself
Gwen Stefani - Hollerback Girl
Inner City - Good Life
Jameila - Thank You
Jamiroquai - Allright
Luther Vandross - Never To Much
Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me
Martha Reeve & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street
Marvin Gaye & Tammii Tarrelle - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
OutKast - Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me)
Pussy Cat Dolls - Buttons
Rihanna - We Ride
Salt N Pepa - Push It
Sugababes - Ugly
The 411 - Dumb
Whitney Houston - Your Love Is My Love
Womack & Womack - Teardrops

Reviewed by Robert Jackman for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).