Lollipop Chainsaw

18 cert, Warner Bros Games, Xbox 360 (also PS3) ****

For such a frivolous game, Lollipop Chainsaw has stirred its share of debate. Is it stupid or ironic; fun or repetitive; empowering or misogynistic? Its hero, Juliet, a chirpy, pneumatic cheerleader is powerful, valiant and “wears her vagina proudly”, but she’s also rendered in a ridiculously gratuitous way. The game tries to have its cake and eat it by gently scolding those who leer. Expect it to turn up in a feminist PhD one day.

To its credit, Lollipop Chainsaw is self-aware and lively, as you’d expect from James Gunn, a veteran of shlock movie studio Troma and screenwriter of the splendid Dawn of the Dead remake. It’s essentially Clueless meets The Evil Dead.

On the morning of her 18th birthday, vivacious Juliet finds that her hometown is overrun by zombies. Thankfully, Juliet is athletic and agile, and handy with a chainsaw. With the severed, undead head of her beloved boyfriend in tow, she takes it upon herself to slay as many zombies as she can.

The graphics are colourful and imaginative, with sparkles and rainbows flashing across the blood-soaked mayhem. The music is a treat as well, mixing a rocking original score and power-pop anthems. And the formatting, such as the end-of-level report-card statistics and in-game power- up shops, are nicely presented.

The gameplay is a frenetic, third-person hack-and-slash affair with strong shades of Bayonetta, as our heroine pirouettes around zombies, slices them to pieces, and melds cheerleader moves with combat. It’s tremendously well paced, fluid and intuitive, but also slightly repetitive.

Lollipop Chainsaw probably won’t have lasting appeal, but it’s dynamic and witty, with attitude and personality to burn: a short, sharp sugar rush.