Let's Cheer! Review (Xbox 360)

2K Play's Let's Cheer! isn't the first cheerleading game in the world — there was We Cheer on Wii a few years back, for instance — but it is the first that doesn't need anything in your hand to get you into the game. Is that enough to make it worth a purchase, though?

As you'd expect from a game based on pep, everything is bright and bubbly but the graphics fall down; animation is decent but on the whole it looks a bit cheap and dated. It even pinches the nightclub-style neon effect from Dance Central when things are going well.

The game eases you in slowly at least: choose a captain then follow their on- screen routines, with time to practise before you perform. Stages are set up as school competition levels — district, state, regionals and nationals — with levels unlocked by successfully passing routines to a certain standard. You can choose one of three difficulties for each routine too, useful for when things get tough but you still want to persist.

Sadly problems arise early. When navigating menus, while tabs are easily selectable things soon get confusing — the sensor tracks both your hands at once, instead of just the one nearer the sensor as in other titles. Recognition during dancing is shaky too: we were awarded five-star scores despite being nowhere near the on-screen moves.

At least things are easy for kids to pick up and play, with a two-player mode on offer as well, making it easier to work your way through routines and collaborate.