* (M)

For Xbox 360, PS3, PC, mobile, iPod touch

SOMEONE'S mother once told me you should always try to find some good in everything and I did try to find some good in this game. I found it about four hours after I started playing it - the end.

Yep another blockbuster spawns another so-so game.

The most interesting thing about this lacklustre run-of-the-mill piece of movie marketing is the fact that its coined a new term: interquel. That's the story between the sequel and the prequel.

Developed by Halcyon Games, Terminator Salvation is set in a well-rendered Los Angeles, 2016.

It takes place between Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and the happenings in the movie starring Christian Bale.

Bale's likeness won't be found as you lead hero John Connor and his team of post-apocalyptic warriors on their mission to save the world from rubber-skinned skeletal robots with piercing red eyes.

The load times are long, the missions short, there are no collectables or secrets to find, and the trophy (PS3) or achievements (Xbox 360) can all be achieved playing on the most difficult level.

Once you've finished the game the only replay options are split-level co-op mode or playing it in a harder or easier difficulty mode.

There's a decent array of weapons, from rifles to rocket launchers, and finding them is not hard given they glow green and are visible through solid objects.

Aiming on moving targets is difficult and there's no lock-on option for any of the weapons.

The storyline is minimal but the cut scenes (of which there are too many) help give the game the feeling of an interactive movie.

The enemies are vaguely hard to kill but if you use the cover and have enough ammo you'll soon find yourself surrounded by mechanical corpses.