You know those Wii adverts? The ones involving immaculately imagined happy families enjoying games so simple that everyone from Gran to the cat can enjoy them? Well, Microsoft wants a slice of that lovely casual pie. They've sensibly realised that Gran doesn't like Halo and the cat isn't fond of Soulcalibur - and that maybe a change in strategy is required. This is why everyone on your friends list is now sporting a Mii (or Xii?) avatar and why shops are now carrying copies of Lips, Scene It and You're in the Movies. The trouble is that while Wii Sports is easy to grasp fun for all, You're in the Movies ends up being a lot more trouble than the modicum of amusement that it eventually presents is worth, which is a really disappointing conclusion to reach when the premise is both innovative and intriguing.

Using the Live Vision Camera, Microsoft's version of the EyeToy, up to four players take part in a series of mini-games, the footage for which is then spliced together to create one of thirty B-movie trailers, with the highest scoring player receiving a virtual Oscar at the end. Anyone who has played any EyeToy style camera games knows what to expect here, because although the overall theme is the magic of Hollywood, the games themselves involve the usual array of 'zany' activities, such as running away from a bunch of screeching monkeys, popping a ball into a goal and punching various attackers as they come at you. These vary in terms of enjoyment and replayability, and while I'd quite happily do the mini-games dance at the drop of a propeller hat, it will be far too soon if I ever have to run away from a fake tornado while the camera fails to pick up on my moves again.

And that's the main problem of the game; the technology simply isn't good enough, something that the EyeToy team mentioned in an interview, describing the game's concept as hugely ambitious. There's a reason that professional motion capture uses a coloured screen, and with my walls a clear white with minimal shadow, I can only see people with less bland decorations having even more difficulties. Huge patches in the background, missing appendages and 'poor lighting' conspired to make setting up the game a massive hassle. Despite various room configurations, the best we could aim for were approximate cut outs of us onscreen with occasional massive patches. Indeed, it's quite telling that these problems even appear on the promotional video that's currently visible on Xbox Live!

Another issue lying in wait for any groups is that of height differences, such as those that you might find while, oh I don't know, playing a party game! Although the title helpfully advises that those of different heights should step nearer and further away from the camera, the result of this is some very odd-looking films at the end, with shorter people appearing incredibly fat and taller folks such as myself looking incredibly thin (a feat never managed by Wii Fit, despite its promises.) If you try to make it playable by having taller players sitting down then certain mini-games become buggy and difficult - like the ones requiring you to run. With this said, even when the height issue isn't present, it's sometimes touch and go for whether certain moves register onscreen or not.

You will also find your fondness for the mini-games wearing off in record time; while the likes of WarioWare: Smooth Moves make looking ridiculous in front of friends a brilliant pastime, You're in the Movies' dull mini-games wear off very quickly, especially as many of them are essentially the same game with a marginally different setting. The sad truth is that cameras aren't the future of gaming controls for good reason; they're inaccurate and limited. It's not long into proceedings that you begin to dread the director calling your name out for a performance because it means that you'll have to flail your arms around tediously for another minute of your life that you will never, ever get back.

All of this is a bit of a kick in the teeth, because You're in the Movies is in many other ways the perfect party game. It's got a great premise and it contains plenty of laughs, though mainly in the finished B-movie trailers that you get to watch after each game. Seeing the finished films with you and your friends hamming it up is a genuine delight and the deliberate campiness makes it all the more hilarious. Because of the repetition of mini-games, it's always entertaining to see how the title will splice up the footage of you and your friends' drunken (or horribly sober) antics. The thing is that the best bits of this footage don't actually come from the mini-games at all but from when the director asks you to act for the camera. You are told to act surprised or look shifty and it's these bits that provide the genuine pleasure in the finished product. The awards ceremony is also really good fun, allowing the winning player to appear on the podium to deliver their acceptance speech on the television; it's immaculately presented and delightfully silly.

In fact, the presentation as a whole is pretty much spot on; from the brash 'golden age of cinema' music to the cheesy sets in the finished films, everything suggests a high budget title. One of the best bits is the charming intro movie, demonstrating with Adam & Joe Show style toy actors how the game should be played and some of the pitfalls you need to look out for when setting it up. The mini-games themselves are cartoony affairs and aren't particularly easy on the eyes but then these parts were never going to be film quality and cartoony flippancy is one of the hallmarks of the casual cake from which Microsoft are so eager to take a bite.

There is one final feature that is worth mentioning, and that is the Director Mode, which promises the ability to make your own scripts. This is a generous definition, as what it really allows you to do is to put the clips of all of the films into any order, thus creating your own masterpiece that can be played alongside the others. It also allows you to pick a soundtrack and record your own 'trailer-guy' voiceover, which is a nice touch but probably too much effort for most people. Like the other film trailers you successfully act out, these can be uploaded to a server and downloaded on your computer for sharing with the world at large, should you wish to do so.

Despite some great presentation and a number of nice touches, it's ultimately extremely hard to recommend You're in the Movies to anyone. It's a brave concept and while it may be against the grain to be so critical of a party game in the cold, analytical light of a reviewer's eyes when the title is probably best played with alcohol flowing freely, it just isn't worth the hassle involved in making it playable - a guaranteed mood killer at a party. Buzz!, Rock Band, SingStar and Wii Sports are all simple, easy to set up and excellent fun; for all of You're in the Movies' great ideas, the technology just can't follow through on the game's ambitions, resulting in its inability to compete with these better tried-and-tested alternatives. Maybe in a few years, a genuine contender will take the idea and run with it, but for now, You're in the Movies joins the list of also-rans; not great enough to be a box office smash but not bad enough to be the video gaming equivalent of Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Reviewed by Alan Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).