You've heard of "spaghetti" Westerns. Now try a "borscht" one instead. Channeling the spirit of Sergio Leone by way of Warsaw, Polish developer Techland's gritty ode to gunslinger epics curiously proves a game of two halves. The clichéd weapon choices and standard-issue shoot-outs fail to make the first-person action itself singularly memorable. But setting aside token turret shooting sequences, predictable flights from town and a cast of generic, semi-intelligent thugs, Call of Juarez has some novel adventure game-style elements.

Throughout the course of play, you take control of two characters, including mixed-race roustabout Billy and his pursuer, outlaw-turned-reverend Ray. Clever twists include frantic, whip-powered swings across yawning pits and ascents up damsels' windows, with engaging if unoriginal sequences -- from frantic chase scenes to quick-draw contests -- filling the gaps between. Granted, the underlying story of lost gold and betrayal, not to mention its ham-fisted dialogue, are hardly worth writing home about. Nor, for that matter, do controls offer pinpoint precision. Linear level setups aren't particularly mesmerizing either. But between sharp visuals and the twin perspective you're offered on the proceedings, there remains solid fun to be had here.

Multiplayer options help extend the disc's appeal somewhat, offering a slew of standard head-to-head, capture-the-flag and team-based battle modes, several set in legendary historical contexts. So if you've ever dreamed of executing train robberies or participating in the shoot-out at the OK Corral, saddle up a horse and start squeezing the trigger.