GETTING in on the action in The Club is like going from zero to 100kmh in a sports car. Except, here it's from picking up the controller to picking off bad guys down in the gutter.

Gameplay takes a no-nonsense 'start the action immediately' policy more common in arcade games than in complex 3D shooting ones like The Club.

There are no story cutscenes explainingthe hows and whys of the game universe like in Halo. Neither do you get to customise your starting load-out a la Counterstrike.

All you get is a puzzle-like, combo-centric shooting experience that emphasises nothing but speed and skill.

Each stage is structured like a shooting gallery.

You are assigned one of five main objectives to complete. These range from simply getting to the stage exit or running three laps through the arena to holding your position against invading foes.

Whatever the case, the ultimate goal is to rack up high scores through efficient killing. Every enemy you kill awards you points based on the location of the fatal shot. Headshot kills, for instance, are worth more than leg shots.

Points awarded are also subjected to a score multiplier, which you raise from zero to 10 times or more by killing enemies quickly. Go too long without a kill, and the multiplier gradually 'bleeds' back to zero.

Hence, to keep the multiplier going, you need to keep the kills coming fast, which presents the first of several strategic conflicts: Should you take your time to aim for headshots or just kill as fast as you can?

Bonus points can also be earned through stunt kills, like taking out an enemy immediately after you recover from a defensive roll, or through eliminating multiple targets by shooting oil canisters in the environment.

But don't forget - your enemies shoot back. All that fanciful gunplay comes to naught if you die. So strive to stay alive by regularly picking up health packs.

If only the developers had been more creative. For something that - strictly speaking - is essentially a one-trick pony, you would expect the developers to have gone crazy with enemy variety or mission scenarios to keep things fresh.

But they do not, leaving us with 49 single-player stages of shooting action that, while intense, doesn't vary much from one level to the next.

Shooter fans craving for short and challenging bursts of intense action might still want to sign up with The Club. It may not be as infinitely replayable as Team Fortress 2, but it does get your adrenaline pumping in 10 minutes or less.