Fame

Andy Warhol understood the fickle nature of fame to the extent that he believed that even the most ordinary among us could seize a spell in the spotlight. Raw talent may lead to lasting success, but the strident noise of reality television contestants hoping to become the next big musical sensation proves Warhol's 15-minute rule.

Fame requires no more talent than is necessary to pull a handset from your pocket, and for that effort you're rewarded with dazzling gesture-based dancing. Your time at the top is short-lived, though, as this expertly crafted game delivers little more than 15 minutes of fun.

Inspired by the recent movie remake, Fame has you tapping and sliding a finger to the beats of three tracks. A trio of difficulty levels - Easy, Medium, and Hard - varies the number of gestures prompted on-screen, as well as the complexity of the patterns.

Things start off slowly with easy taps of collapsible circles. As a large circle shrinks around a smaller stationary circle, tapping it when the two are aligned results in a perfect beat. Flicks come in later, short arrows pointing in the direction that you need to slide a finger.

On Hard, simultaneous taps and flick arrangements appear, as well as quick-fire patterns that have you tapping like mad across the surface of the screen.

It's well choreographed, but rather easy until bumped up to Hard. Combined with a points system complete with multipliers and a Fame Bar power-up, it's one of the most polished games of its class.

The gum on these dancing shoes is the lack of lasting value since you can burn through the three tracks in no more than a quick 15 minutes. There's not enough here to ensure Fame doesn't become a throwaway title, played once and forgotten. It's a glamorous moment, no doubt, but it's over before you know it.