ABBA, one of the most popular pop groups of the late seventies and early eighties, is having something of a renaissance at present. Not in the form of a new tour and album (though don't count that out just yet) but instead in the form of adulation from pre-teen girls (why don't we call them preenagers, it's a tweenager type mash-up word, and they do seem to spend a lot of their time putting on make up) and a new movie and game based on their songs.
While Mamma Mia is tearing up the box office, SingStar Abba aims to do the same on the PlayStation. There's not a lot to say about this game that you won't already know or be able to guess. It's a karaoke-style singing game like all the previous SingStar games, but this time, instead of a sprinkling of recent pop hits, the songs are all timeless classics from the Swedish superstars. Singstar lets players sing along with ABBA's songs while watching their videos, and then scores you on how good (or poor) your tone and timing are. You can sing on your own or with friends or take your friends on in sing-off battles and party games.
So with this title, Abba fans will have the opportunity to sing along with: Chiquitita, Dancing Queen, Does Your Mother Know, Fernando, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Mamma Mia, Money, Money, Money, One Of Us, Ring Ring, SOS, Summer Night City, Super Trouper, Take A Chance On Me, Thank You For The Music, The Name Of The Game, The Winner Takes It All, Voulez-Vous, Waterloo.
SingStar Abba is clearly being released with an eye to the Christmas stocking market, but one thing for parents to be aware of if you haven't already got a SingStar game, is to get the version with the microphones, or you'll have some pretty glum looking kids come Christmas morning.