That's right folks, Simon & 'Slim' Schuster are at it again. With such parodies as Deer Avenger and Panty Raider already under their belt, the next target appears to be ABC's hit game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire is the name of the game and it offers you the opportunity to do exactly what the title insinuates, give the millionaire of your choice, the beating of his or her life. Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire plays out like a series of jokes, poking fun at everything from Regis Philbin's mannerisms to game shows in general. When all is said and done though, the last laugh is on the gamer.

You begin Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire by selecting the millionaire you'd most like to knock the crap out of. In good ol' Simon & Schuster fashion, the list of suspects comprises the usual stereotypical millionaires including the Internet/Computer nerd, the young blonde who got her millions from her much older and recently deceased husband, the bratty son who inherited all his money from his old man, and a sheik among others. Once you've selected the lucky man or woman, it's time to jump into the hot seat and answer a series of multiple-choice questions in order to get the opportunity to wail on the millionaire.

The questions in Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire are similar to those asked in the real Millionaire show. If you get a question correct, you'll be given approximately 10 seconds to lay the smack down on your chosen millionaire. If you answer the question incorrectly, they'll be no punches thrown and the game will be over. The more questions you get right, the more pounding you'll be able to dish out. There are an assortment of punches you can throw including jabs and uppercuts, and once you've hit the millionaire a certain number of times, they're monetary value decreases from one million, to five hundred thousand, to two hundred thousand, etc. Answer enough questions right and eventually the millionaire will have no money to go along with those black eyes.

To help you along the way, you're given three lifeboats, which are the equivalent to lifelines. You can 'Chicken Out' of a question, after which you'll be given a new question. You can select 'One Or The Other', which is the equivalent of a 50-50 lifeline. Last but not least, you can receive a 'Fortune Cookie' which basically lets you know whether or not the answer you wish to give is on the right track or not. The lifeboats are actually quite poor considering all the possible options they could have implemented. They aren't much different than the regular lifelines found in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and they aren't particular funny either. Another item to help your cause is the addition of Special Weapons. Once you've successfully answered a number of questions, you'll be awarded a weapon to use in your thrashings. The items in question usually have some sort of significance to each of the millionaires, supposedly making it all the sweeter. The special weapons are also a bit of a letdown though, as they aren't that hilarious either.

Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire boasts approximately 750 questions, so you won't see questions repeat themselves for quite awhile. The questions are much simpler compared to the questions in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, a move obviously intended to give gamers an easier avenue to the action segments. I was able to go all the way almost immediately upon trying the game, so the payoff is quick (if not premature) to say the least. Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire is hosted by a Regis Philbin look-alike, who features all the mannerisms of his real-life counterpart. Much of the hilarity (although there's not much of it) is produced via the game show host as he whips out quick quips whenever possible. There appears to be about a half dozen comments for each particular event, so the speech does become repetitive pretty quick.

In terms of graphics, Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire is clearly made by the same folks behind the Deer Avenger series. The visuals are all extremely cartoonish, a style that works best for such a parody. Speech dominates the audio department and simple keyboard controls are the order of the day in terms of interface. Multiplayer consists of hot seat with up to 4 players at one time. Each of the contestants basically takes turns answering questions, then dishing out punishment.

Simon & Schuster Interactive describes Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire as side-splitting humour. Side-splitting? Let me tell you something, "There's Something About Mary" was side-splitting, "Me, Myself and Irene" was side-splitting at times, Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire is not side-splitting humour. That's not to say the game doesn't have its moments, I did giggle once or twice but that was about it. Who Wants To Beat Up A Millionaire is simply a string of jokes, many of which don't work. In the end, the joke will be on the individuals who actually pay $20 for this game.