I'm not into the whole hip hop scene, don't follow the world of rap or care much for bling...but I was really keen to dip my toe in the water with 50 Cent's second dalliance with gaming, Blood on the Sand.

I wasn't expecting too much, thanks to a smattering of pretty lousy reviews out there... but it just looked kinda fun. And I wasn't too disappointed.

The hackneyed plot is pretty laughable: 50 Cent is doing a gig in the Middle East somewhere...it's all going well but as he comes off stage he discovers someone's reneged on his $10m payment. Luckily, he's happy to accept a rather nice jewel-encrusted skull instead...except some swine then runs off with that too! He's not a happy bunny and, assisted by a member of his G-Unit crew, embarks on a revenge mission to retrieve what is rightfully his.

Cue a chase across all manner of dusty environments as 50 chases his foe, knocking off hundreds of henchmen in the process.

The graphics are big and bold, and the whole thing is pretty good looking but nothing revolutionary. Sound effects are nothing particularly special either but it's a nice touch (if you're a 50 Cent fan) that his toons play constantly in the background while you shoot, kick and punch your way through each mission. A quick press of a button also allows you to throw in a few taunts too - although parents beware, Mr Cent has somewhat of a potty mouth.

More taunts can be "bought" along the way, using cash accrued by smashing the hell out of boxes you find dotted about the place, rapidly disposing of selected enemies before the time depletes (much like The Club), picking up posters or simply by progressing through each level.

Similarly, bigger, badder guns can be purchased, as can counterkills - typically a kick and punch combo that is triggered by pressing buttons in quick succession. Take too much time or press the wrong button and the counterkill fails, leaving you open to a good kicking instead! Although this has already been seen in other titles such as The Bource Conspiracy, this actually works quite well and breaks up some of the gameplay.

Ah, the gameplay... Boasting a poor imitation of the cover system from Gears of War, it all very similar to the many other third person shooters available on the Xbox and PS3. It's actually not too far removed from Terminator Salvation, which was reviewed on this very blog a few weeks back.

Wander around each level, take out a few baddies and then progress a little further, hide behind some debris and shoot someone else. Repeat the process, picking up ammo and cash as you go.

The aforementioned timed challenges that require you to take out a specific bad guy before the timer ticks down, and occasional boss confrontations, add a little variety but it's all pretty standard. There's even a simple driving or helicopter-flying segment thrown in for good measure which, again, minimises the monotony.

I must admit I got quite engrossed in the game during my week-long trial and I imagine that if I'd had longer, and could be bothered, tracking down all the collectibles and progressing through the mission with a friend rather than the AI would increase its replayability.

It's got a little bit of Gears of War in there, the feel of an official movie license like the Bourne Conspiracy and Quantum of Solace, a hint of The Club and the light-heartedness of Army of Two. However, I couldn't help but think this imitated these titles but fell just short of each.

Still, if you keep your eyes peeled, a copy of the game can now be bought for a measly £15-18 - half the price it launched for in February! At that rate, you only need a few plays for it to pretty much pay for itself - and I reckon you could do a lot worse!

(Video source: TMONEY163)