EDITOR'S NOTE: This game is one of three special Xbox/Xbox 360 exclusive titles available as part of a new Burger King promotional deal. Each game is $3.99 with the purchase of a BK Value Meal and will only be available for a limited time from November 19 through December 24 at US Burger King branches nationwide. To accommodate users of both consoles, Xbox- and Xbox 360-specific versions are included on every game disc as well.

In the build up to King Game's newly released trio of Burger King budget promo games for the Xbox and Xbox 360, Sneak King garnered the most buzz (well, as much buzz as a four-dollar budget game can get!) based on the sheer goofiness of its content alone. Having the opportunity to play in the role of the King as a fast-food stalker stealthily sneaking hungry citizens various BK menu items actually sounded rather clever and unique, not to mention laugh-out-loud funny. But to my dismay, Sneak King has ultimately turned out as the worst title of the three and that's a crying shame considering this was set up to be the King's starring role.

With Sneak King you get four game worlds to explore - a sawmill, neighborhood cul-de-sac, construction site and a downtown suburban-type area - with eighty missions to complete in all. In these worlds, the gameplay objective is simple; sneak around as the King and serve hungry citizens roaming the area. To do this, you must wait until you see a thought bubble pop up over someone's head, then prowl up behind them without being seen or heard and press the A button to surprise them with a burger, coffee and all sorts of other BK food. But don't be late, because if someone stays hungry for too long they'll pass out from starvation!

Of course, the King isn't one to just deliver food; he has to do it with style and pizzazz. With this in mind, the game presents a Flourish Gauge that comes up whenever you successfully surprise someone, during which you must stop the gauge as it rises and the higher it is when you stop it, the more elaborate the King's service will be, going from simply handing food over at the low end to performing silly dances at the upper range. Pulling off fancier flourishes isn't just for show either, it rewards a higher game score in the process, as does chaining sneaks together, jumping out from hiding places to enhance the surprise of unsuspecting passers-by, giving food to a person when their hunger level is at its peak and getting as close to a target as possible before making their day with a nice cup of chicken fries.

All of this will have you giggling with hysteria for the first couple of missions, but beyond that there isn't enough variety or challenge to the missions to keep the fun factor from nose-diving. Mission stipulations involve earning a certain score within a time limit, serving a chain of people without being spotted once, performing maximum flourishes and other variations, but in the end every mission winds up playing out exactly the same way and it gets boring in a flash, with the 200 achievement points spread over 12 achievements being the only real driving force to make you want to continue trudging along (for Xbox 360 owners that is).

On the positive side, Sneak King actually looks pretty darn impressive, completely blowing away any expectations for what I figured such a cheap game would present. The King himself is modelled in great detail, as are the environments he's placed in, while his dancing and sneaking animations basically make for the main source of appeal. The audio elements aren't quite as successful though, unfortunately consisting only of mildly amusing music and passable sound effects.

Even under the shelter of being a budget title where it's hard to get overly critical, Sneak King still just isn't a very fun game, plain and simple. At first its kookiness will have you and any onlookers cracking up, as you watch the King prowl around and do his little dances, but after only ten minutes of play you'll have seen everything the game has to offer, and from then on playing the rest of the way feels more like a chore than anything else - Sneak King is a one-trick pony and its one trick gets old far too soon. Despite its problems, though, the game should prove entertaining enough to keep your kids occupied for a few hours, which is its main goal to be fair, and if you're a game collector then it's worth picking up purely for its novelty and dirt-cheap price alone. But your first priority (if you're not a BK addict) should be the fun and entertaining Big Bumpin', with the final of the trio, Pocketbike Racer, coming in as a reasonably close second.

Reviewed by Matt Litten for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).