Publisher: 2K Games Price: �29.99 Format: Wii Age rating: 15+ IN the build up to the recent boxing match between Amir Khan and Marco Antonio Barrera, Don King was on hand to lend his expert analysis. With cameras rolling, the aging impresario quickly g

Publisher: 2K Games

Price: �29.99

Format: Wii

Age rating: 15+

IN the build up to the recent boxing match between Amir Khan and Marco Antonio Barrera, Don King was on hand to lend his expert analysis.

With cameras rolling, the aging impresario quickly gave his assessment of each boxer, and then, barely pausing for breath, launched into a brazen plug for his new videogame. It was a comical moment, but King has a knack for backing a winner so we were curious to find out if his game is as good as he thinks.

Anyone familiar with Wii Sports' boxing game will feel instantly at home with the in-body view and control scheme. It's a bit disconcerting seeing your boxing gloves floating in front of you like ghostly apparitions, but you soon get used to it. Control-wise, things are straightforward. Holding the Wii remote in one hand and the nunchuck in the other, you thrust forward to jab, swipe left or right for hooks and push up to unleash an uppercut. Body blows can be called into play by holding down the B or Z buttons while A brings up your gloves in a defensive posture, with a quick tilt of the remote enabling you to dodge incoming punches.

For the most part, the motion-sensitive controls work well, with only the occasional punch failing to register. As an added bonus, the game also supports the Wii Balance Board and includes four training mini-games.

Once you've mastered the controls you can either take on the computer or a friend in a split-screen boxing match or choose to play the game's career mode. Here, you take on the persona of 'The Kid', a rookie fighter who you have to guide to the top. In between bouts, Don King and his pals - including Lennox Lewis and Joe Calzaghe - reflect on your progress in documentary-style cut-scenes.

While the game's visuals are functional at best, actual fights mirror the power and intensity of the real thing, with well-timed blows the key to success. There are a few depth perception issues, but when you manage to string together a series of match-winning punches you'll soon forget about such minor niggles.