In this image-obsessed industry, it's critical that a game projects a strong sense of identity. With an identity comes a target audience. Sony have arguably captured the 'twenty-something male' flag and, to consolidate this position, Sony Music Entertainment releases this: a game featuring nothing but scantily clad females. Oh, and some very nice scenery.

Games about girls, they’ve been done before. We've had Britney’s Dance Beat, Barbie and even Spice Girls-themed games. However, let’s face it, there's no point in dressing up licensed images of celebrity females in shallow, aimless and nonsensical rhythm and action games. Sony Music Entertainment have accomplished the (admittedly, rather simple) task of putting this type of game on a diet, getting rid of the fat and leaving us with what certain men (and, to a lesser extent one would guess, women) buy these games for: the allure of the female form.

Japanese celebrities who have been given the 'Gravure' (Literally, a method of printing) treatment include Megumi, Mori Hiroko, Kitikawa Tomomi and Nemoto Harumi. Looking at a possible meaning behind the words 'Motion' and 'Gravure' is possibly the best way of explaining what this phenomenon of a game provides. It's neither a slideshow nor a video, but a highly surreal mixture of the two. It seems to be a series of static pictures which morph from one to the next to form the 'video', but when Megumi gives you a wink, you know this is more than a mere slideshow.

You're given the standard DVD options: you can zoom in to whichever place takes your fancy, and for some reason holding down the Square button makes the pad constantly vibrate. It's best left to the reader to try and work out what this function is for. Pressing Triangle at certain points will give you a secret hidden viewpoint, but this is about as interactive as the title gets.

It's a hard life being a model. All the girls are seen in a variety of locations, none of which are filthy inner cities – remote landscapes, expansive gardens with handily placed hosepipes, and remote beaches full of nothing but our on-screen idols are the order of the day. Coming from Sony Music Entertainment, we'd expect the aural aspect to be up to par as well as the visual aspect, and it doesn't disappoint. It’s hardly a stellar range of tracks, but each one accentuates the mood and ambience apparent in the video. Slow, upbeat and optimistic, each track admirably accentuates the on-screen perfection. Watching the kinetically enhanced slideshow on screen becomes mesmerising, partially due to the subject matter, and partially due to the pure hypnotic effect that the combination of tranquil music and seductive, almost swirling visuals on display provides.

When CDs became the medium of choice for next generation consoles, developers tried to fill them with as much video as possible. A backlash ensued, as games were then moving away from their roots, back towards their big screen brethren, from which they derive much of their inspiration. Motion Gravure shamelessly uses the DVD to this effect, providing very little in terms of interactivity. For most gamers, this is a title that will purely be there to round out their collection, looking pretty on the shelf.

With many import gamers having a fond eye for women of the orient (possibly as an exposure to the culture through an interest in gaming leads to an interest in all Japanese media and celebrities), at least the subject matter will appeal to them. Each title is released at budget price; a sensible move on Sony's part due to the titles' complete lack of depth. It comes with no false pretences, and leaves the girls in their unadulterated form, rather than converting them into polygonal form.

A more interactive aspect of this 'game' comes in the form of Virtual View. Basically being a 'Photoshoot simulator', it appears to be far more appealing than Motion Gravure’s “hands off”' approach. You can move your camera all the way around the various models, an effect created by placing many cameras around the subjects, giving you the same "bullet time" effect present in films such as The Matrix.

Whether or not Motion Gravure proves to be a worthwhile purchase depends upon your viewpoint. If you can appreciate the game for what it is (or quite frankly, isn't) then it's a worthwhile purchase. However, most people who will buy this game will find more appropriate material on the hard-to-reach shelves of their local video store.

Text by: Tom Salter