Drum King should have inherited a clear template for success after Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Unfortunately, despite reasonable looks it plays with all the believability of the Cadbury gorilla.
Things start badly with three different drumming modes ranging from pointlessly basic to torturously tricky (holding down direction keys for hitting toms is particularly irritating) and get worse with a selection of tracks hardly known for their rhythm sections. But what really derails it is the cheesy, cover-band lift music, especially if you've been spoiled by licensed original tracks. Drum King sounds like Stars in Their Eyes for wannabe members of McFly – hardly a gig you'd want to see, let alone play in.
