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 There's a fair number of WiiWare shmups out there, and to some people they all may look like shovelware. Somewhere between the trashcan and our hearts is 'GyroStarr': A tube shooter developed by High Voltage Software, which can only be described as the less appealing offspring of the PC gem Audiosurf, and beautiful trance acid trip; REZ. Fast moving levels, easy-to-learn mechanics, intense presentation and 4 player co-op or competitive play all sound well and nice, but read on before you take the plunge.

 The purpose of the game is to collect "energy". Little white orbs that fall down your path randomly, or when an enemy is destroyed. Collecting enough of these opens the next portal for you to jump through, so you aren't blasted to bits against a giant steel door. Shooting is done by tapping the '2' button, which fires a slow, single shot that follows the exact path you fired it in, no matter how the course turns. There's a decent number of powerups in GyroStarr, but not enough to totally throw a new player over the handlebars. Bombs, faster shots, and triple shots will pop up occasionally, and help boost your score, but the most interesting addition is the grapple. Pressing forward on the D-Pad or Analog stick will throw a hook out. If there's a power up far in front of you, it will bring it back, as long as it's in your path. I know it sounds like a useless addition, but after using it in a few close games, it's a life saver.

Just as expected; there's more than one way to dance across the pipe. The motion controls don't feel right at all. Your ship will stick when it's not tilted enough, which is really disappointing. I would have loved the sensation of gliding with the Wii remote in any shmup, but the D-Pad and Nunchuck do the job much better. All those elements wrapped up in one bundle makes the game genuinely fun. There's a high energy feel to the game, but it repeats it self way too much, and 700 Wii points seems too high for a title with a life as short as this. Worth a play or two for the addictive multiplayer, but not everyone's going to enjoy it.

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