Imagine, if you will, the illegitimate love-child of 'Resident Evil 4' and 'Gears of War' and you would have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Digital Extreme's latest console shooter, 'Dark Sector'.

As such, a lot of it will feel familiar while playing it. You'll recognize mechanics, ideas and ambiance from other titles that have done it, if not necessarily better when specific aspects are compared, but certainly as a whole.

It's a mish-mash of older, more competent titles, but although your first reaction would be to give it a skip, 'Dark Sector' is more than just a game trying to channel the best parts of classic third-person shooters.

It deserves a chance, and here's why.

Set against what seems to be a Cold War setting in the Eastern European Soviet Block, the game starts off in stark black and white, relaying the current events and setting up a story that is sadly never fully explained or exploited.

A strange virus has spread across the nation, killing some while giving others horrific mutating powers. You are Hayden Tenno, a CIA operative sent to "clean up the mess" — whatever that may entail.

At the end of this mission, Hayden is confronted by a tall assassin, stabbing him through the shoulder, thereby mutating his arm into what will serve as your main weapon of choice for the remainder of the game.

The story, as you might have gathered, is not the strongest, lacking any form of cohesiveness and never fully explains your actions or motivations. Right, so we've established that we're not here for the story.

Graphically, 'Dark Sector' is one of the better looking games out there. Although the muted colour tones, drab scenery and gothic nature of the levels can get a tad monotonous, textures, surfaces and effects all look pretty spectacular.

It's a shame then that no other colour palettes or settings were used — some of the sections are so dark I had to readjust the settings on my TV just to be able to see where I was going.

While the levels are mostly well designed and look impressive, the characters are in complete contrast to this. Hayden looks like he constantly smells something foul and the mutants you'll encounter seem to be made of plastic. The character designs are competent, but only just. Fortunately it gets ignored quickly once you're into the thick of things.

The control scheme is remarkably similar to 'Gears of War' — from the tap-sensitive cover mechanism to the roadie run — and it works (almost) just as well. The left side of the controller controls your guns and the right side controls the Glaive — the weapon spawned from your infected arm.

A three-bladed boomerang of sorts, the Glaive must go down as one of the most ridiculously fun weapons in videogaming history. Using the motion-sensing capabilities of the Sixaxis remote, you can slow down time and control the glaive in the air towards unsuspecting enemies, lopping of limbs and heads in the process. Later on it will also double as a shield to ward off projectiles.

It's violent, brutal and severely addictive. You'll find yourself shouting in glee when performing an especially clean decapitation, all the while hopefully knowing that you're probably getting more pleasure from this than is entirely healthy. Still, it's a marvellous invention and the one thing that sets this game apart from those that it is aping.

About halfway through the structure does get a bit tedious. The game will send hordes of enemies your way and it starts to become a bit of a chore, thanks to the predictable AI.

Puzzles are littered throughout the levels and although some can be a bit tricky, it feels tacked on and without rhyme or reason. The glaive gives the only respite from the boredom that sets in once you've nailed the structure of the game.

There are two online multiplayer modes — both diversions for a few hours but lacking any depth or longevity and with so many better offerings out there, this is a game you'll play solely for the single player experience.

However, as a whole, 'Dark Sector' does manage to entertain. It's a bit too easy, the story is weak and the AI questionable. But it somehow manages to be a notch above most of the mediocre games available today.

As an entertaining diversion, the game is fantastic. But as a serious contender for depth, style and substance, it falls undeniably short.