Unlike a huge percentage of my peers, Buffy holds no real interest for me. Yes, it's quality TV with a good mix of action, comedy and drama, but I just don't see the basis for devotion. Many a night I have been marooned in pubs with only Buffyites for company and on those occasions I've never felt more ignorant in my life. There is a certain reverence in the words of the Buffy disciple that verges on religious and any kind of statement that questions the sanctity of the Slayer is met with similar pious disregard. All this aside you can't knock it, as Buffy and Co. churn out season after season of entertainment that rises well above the usual tripe. Unfortunately the latest tie-in videogame, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds, doesn't quite manage to do the same in the netherworld of console gaming.

An unbelievably dull opening scene greets the player and sees the happy grouping of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike and Giles running around the Magic Box (the shop that Giles owns) in an attempt to rescue Anya and Tara. Essentially a glorified training mission, this allows you to get to grips with various characters' skills and techniques. Predictably Buffy's strengths lie in hand-to-hand combat and post-kill quips whilst Willow relies heavily on magic to pull her out of tight situations. Past this the story continues much like a regular episode and contains all the events and locations you might expect, including random patrols of the cemetery, trips to the sewers and jolly jaunts to the underworld. It's at the more interesting end of the genre's spectrum but unfortunately some shoddy delivery does nothing to compliment the narrative.

By far the worst aspect of Chaos Bleeds is the waste of excellent potential. Whilst many of the characters aren't voiced by their TV series counterparts they all sound near enough to the mark to be believable and the well executed, albeit basic, character models back up the sense of continuity nicely. The problem arises when they open their mouths and reel off the script in a manner that would make Martin from Eastenders wince. Unemotional, badly timed and poorly synched conveyance of what is really quite an amusing script damages the impact of the in-game engine cut scenes significantly and brings the overall effect down almost to the level of Alone In The Dark.

Most of the time you'll be kicking undead butt though, so this may not be as important as all that. Slaying demons is great fun until you realise that your eyes ache, your thumbs have gone numb and you don't really want to kill any more. The enemy sprites don't vary much and the weapons, while a welcome addition, don't do anything to the gameplay, the level design is pedestrian to say the least and the combos are equally dull. None of this really matters though, as it keeps you entertained for short periods in much the same way as Dynasty Warriors' frenzy of mindless button mashing. Playing as and alongside the series' characters adds a little something absent from most titles in the genre and gives Chaos Bleeds a good dash of the unexpected. As mentioned before, each character has his or her own strengths but for a vast majority of the game hammering the punch and kick buttons offers the most efficient way out of any situation. That said, the gameplay is fun and has it's place; it may not be the most involved on the market and you're unlikely to want to complete it in one go but as an uncomplicated romp it's sure to satisfy the slayer in you.

Graphical highs and lows are abound in Chaos Bleeds; some environments instil fear and set your heart racing whilst others just make you chuckle, the first few zombie encounters have you flinching as they relentlessly shuffle at you a'la Resi Evil but after your five hundredth kill boredom is your greatest enemy. Many of the finer points of animation have been rushed or completely neglected, despite the general level of fluidity and speed being very high. Problems occur regularly when interacting with the environments and things disappear or frames go missing, which tends to dampen any sense of immersion. Nothing sticks out about Chaos Bleeds' visuals and the end result is a lacklustre but solid one that fits with the overall standard of the title.

That classic intro music accompanies the menu screen to great effect but sadly this is the audio highlight. The in-game grunts, groans and quotes are far too repetitive to do anything other than detract from the experience and the score doesn't quite do justice to the action.

More than a few extras round out the options with some interviews with cast and crew members as well as a photo gallery that allows you to zoom in on any part of the body…err… picture. A rather inventive range of multiplayer options has been included in the line up adding a touch to the longevity of the game but these feel far more like a novelty addition than anything else and shouldn't really be a contributing factor in your purchasing decisions.

I enjoyed Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds, even though I didn't understand the story as fully as I might (not being a total Buffy devotee). Its mix of action, comedy and drama is far less even than in the series and the basic nature of the gameplay doesn't offer anything outstanding or original. It's a solid purchase that will keep the enthusiast amused for a good couple of weeks but falls well short of being anything other than regulation fodder.

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