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The game starts off with a good opening sequence. The dialog is actually not bad and the in-game movie is sharp. Tequila is going on a death mission, and this is where the shooting starts. Basically, it never stops.

One of the worst things you can accuse a writer of is being derivative. It's another was of saying they are stealing from someone else. Initially, Stanglehold feels derivative. It seems to borrow from several games, with a good deal of Max Payne thrown in. Unfortunately, 'Tequila Time' is more like Max Payne 2 than the original, but this addition to gameplay isn't that bad. Hey, someone had to create deathmatch before everyone else added it in.

The action is fast-paced, although a bit detached. You just keep firing and firing in the beginning, without much purpose. As you build up points, you get extra abilities, like being able to heal yourself or going on a murderous, lightning-fast shooting spree. They call these 'Tequila Bombs', almost as sweet as JagerBombs.

The most fun comes when you jump over things, slide down bannisters, and blow stuff up. There are several different weapons to choose from, pretty much standard fare, but this is good. Nothing you'd expect to be there isn't. For all of its initial blandness, the action does pay off if for no other reason than its intensity.