Party Island: Sexy Trivia

If there's one thing Digital Chocolate's Sexy Trivia does, it's make you feel inadequate. Here I was thinking that my headcount was pretty impressive, but the latest addition to the Party Island franchise has disabused me of my pride. Sexy Trivia is positively pro-promiscuity, its central idea being that you should have as many notches on your bedpost as possible.

That's the impression it gives anyway, with the game taking the form of a love quiz that schools you in the ways of attracting members of the opposite sex. Lined up in a row like a hierarchy of lust, Sexy Trivia is a game born out of that famous mantra, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again' – except, in Digital Chocolate's world, even if you bond with one partner, you're still encouraged to move on to the next.

If this gives you the impression that Sexy Trivia treats its dates as objects rather then people, then you're spot on, but this isn't the kind of game that takes itself too seriously.

Mixing questions on historical romance icons (could you, for instance, name Cleopatra's historic love interest, or some well established aphrodisiacs?) with scenarios that yearn for the 'ideal' romantic responses (i.e., the answer that bends to the will of your hypothetical partner), correct answers win you favour with prospective dates, with a certain number needed to fill their hearts with desire before you promptly move onto the next.

As a concept, moving from one lad or lass isn't exactly something Cupid would endorse, but Sexy Trivia is less about dating and more an attempt at giving players something light and inherently disposable that fits in with the Party Island franchise.

Each date poses 12 questions, which come with three potential answers. Three lifelines are also on offer along the way (50/50, swap the question, or a random light sequence that flashes a green strip behind the correct answer for a brief moment), although trial and error can prove the best method, as repeat adventures with the same date throw up the same questions.

Correct answers also offer you credits that you can spend on new clothes and accessories for Party Island – the social networking part of the game, where you can use wi-fi connection to chat to other users around the globe.

Nonetheless, Sexy Trivia is the most ill-fitting of the games currently on offer in the franchise; Digital Chocolate's respective takes on ten-pin bowling and pool give a softer sides to the sport, there is still a sense of challenge on offer, whereas Sexy Trivia is a fairly light, almost personal package that comes with some rather random romantic ideals.

Taking a sexy photo for your mother-in-law might not be the norm for you and me, for instance, but in Sexy Trivia's world, choosing the right outfit to wear in said shot is your only concern. There are also some equally amusing translation issues that make just understanding the question you're being asked a sport in itself.

But, the factual quandaries aside, it's the game's bizarre take on the right and wrong ways to woo someone that mar play the most. Some of the 'correct' answers will make you howl with laughter, but not in an altogether good way.

There's nothing wrong with a softer take on the dating game if well implemented, but when progression depends on collating a sizeable bunch of correct answers, having a good chunk of questions that come with frankly bizarre replies stalls progress and begins to annoy more than it amuses as the rounds tick by.

This isn't a match made in heaven for anyone with a sensible head on their shoulders, but for those who like to plump for off the wall partners – perhaps those who thrive on exposing themselves to new-found relatives – Party Island: Sexy Trivia might well be the game to rub you up in the right way.