Call of Juarez: The Cartel is an interesting attempt, but it doesn't quite progress the series as much as it could have. Bright ideas fell flat due to polish and execution, but the cooperative play is worth checking out for those of you that love joining up with friends.

Interesting story; with great co-op incentives

Bad graphics; no likable characters

Call of Juarez is one of those peculiar mid-range series that have somehow survived an industry climate that is supposed to have finished off everything between tiny indies and blockbuster juggernauts.

- made its way to the PS3. Bound in Blood was released two years ago, and despite a few flaws it was respectable title that won a few fans. Unfortunately fans of that game are likely to be disappointed with the latest game in the series,

Call of Juarez: The Cartel was never going to take over the world, but coming from a series that was once unique and interesting it certainly destroys the legacy of its predecessors.

It has been almost two months since Call of Juarez: The Cartel was released on consoles. In the time since, you may have hoped that developer Techland would have been busy fixing the problems that plagued those versions for the game's PC release.

Secret agendas smartly link the gameplay with the story; Challenges give co-op play a competitive edge; Many levels offer room to maneuver

You miss out on the good stuff when you play on your own; Low online population makes it hard to find co-op partners; Unlikable characters that say and do unlikable things; Lots of bugs and glitches; Overdone; distracting blur effect

I didn't have very high expectations for Call of Juarez: The Cartel at all. I thought the game would at least be passable. What I played this last week was one of the least enjoyable video game experiences I've ever had, and I would be extremely surprised if there were to be a fourth game in this...

I was interested in this next step for the Call of Juarez series, and I really think it could have worked; but good ideas can only do so much, solid execution must also prevail, and that just didn't happen with The Cartel.

Call of Juarez started out by saddling some great ideas onto a pretty mediocre first title. It wasn't until Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood that everything fell into place, and Techland managed to deliver a decent Western experience with varied gameplay, nice graphics and some epic gunfights.

How do you get modern weapons into a cowboy game, without setting it in a sci-fi era? You move it into the modern day, and Techland have done just that with Call of Juarez: The Cartel.

Decent storyline; Collecting items in secret is fun and tactical in co-op.

Repeated dialogue is annoying; Falling on the floor from distant explosions can be irritating.

In a bold move, Ubisoft has sanctioned a shift for the Juarez franchise. It's no longer set in the Wild West, nor is it predominantly set in Juarez. Good move, or very very bad?

Innovative side-story involving character intrigue; Overarching story theme has appeal

Poor combat, repetitive audio cues, glitchy character pathing; Graphics, animation and cinematic sequences feel old; The multiplayer is underdeveloped; A Call of Juarez title should be an old Western experience