Video Games

SingStar '90s

B+ For PS2. Rated for ages 13 and up. $29 ($49 with two microphones).

COLLABORATE AND LISTEN: I have new respect for Vanilla Ice. After bumbling my way through a painful rendition of "Ice Ice Baby" in the karaoke title SingStar '90s, I can safely say that Vanilla, whatever his other flaws, can at least blurt out nonsense lyrics at a rapid rate.

HAMMERTIME: Ice isn't the only blast from the past in this collection of 1990s sing-alongs: MC Hammer, R.E.M., Chumbawumba, Hootie and the Blowfish, Seal and all the other goofballs that are usually playing in the background of VH1's I Love the 90s show are also here.

GEAR UP: SingStar is a fairly equipment-heavy title. You need at least one official SingStar USB microphone (no other brand works with the game), and you can also plug in an EyeToy camera if you want to see yourself on the screen while you screech.

BOTTOM LINE: You can't download new songs, the game really only grades your notes and timing rather than your ability to actually pronounce words (you can get a high score just by humming into the mike), and my dreams of a sold-out North American tour have been dashed. But I had fun.

Victor Godinez

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