SINGSTAR CHART HITS

SINGSTAR, YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE.

We know that you're just the same game with some different songs. The fancy new cover is nice – and the "new voice technology" (that's the same as other releases) is a nice little gimmick. But how, how do you entertain me so? If you haven't played SingStar, you've been living under a rock without a PlayStation.

This video-game incarnation of the popular karaoke pastime has been the life of the party at many an 11-year-old-girl's birthday, at awkward, inebriated office gatherings and in the homes of closet pop stars since May 2004.

While SingStar Chart Hits is nothing out of the ordinary for the franchise, it does at least deliver what you would expect: heaps of fun if you can put your pride aside. I knew far more lyrics than I cared to admit. The track list reads like a "who's who" of recent chart-toppers. The Pussycat Dolls, One Republic, 3OH!3 all make an appearance, as does Lady Gaga. In truth, I can't stand that weirdo.

But I recognise that she's a huge draw card, and it seems Sony London has too – but they've excluded one of her huge hits from the PS2 release. Unfortunately, the PS2 version of the game comes with five less tracks than the PS3 version. So PS2 players will probably be upset to see they're missing out on Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' and OneRepublic's 'All The Right Moves' as well as three others from The Pussycat Dolls, Wes Carr and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

You can't deny the formula; it definitely works. And despite my subconscious best efforts to be too cool for this game, I couldn't help having a good time singing through Ben Lee's 'Catch My Disease'.

That's kind of ironic, isn't it? SingStar is like a disease, an infection or a rash. Yes, that's it – a rash. A rash you'd probably be happy to keep from your friends.