On paper, "Brutal Legend" seems, well, legendary.

It's got Jack Black voicing the main character, as well as contributions from some of heavy metal's biggest names (Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister, Lita Ford, etc.).

It was created by Tim Schafer, who is a genius at quirky and funny ("Psychonauts," "Grim Fandango").

And it's an action game set in a heavy metal-inspired world, complete with leather, spikes and a licensed soundtrack.

I was convinced it was going to be brilliant.

And it is, in a way. The dialogue is sparkling, and Jack Black is Eddie Riggs, a passionate roadie sucked into the strange world.

But "Brutal Legend" doesn't quite live up to my expectations.

As Eddie, you're trying to free the humans from the the evil Doviculus and his demon army. Eddie is armed with a giant ax, a guitar and a mean-looking hot rod.

In this world, music is powerful, so the guitar is used in many ways. Eddie can use it to attack, boost and command his army.

As he completes missions and uses music to raise ancient relics throughout the world, Eddie earns "lighter tributes." This is currency he can use to upgrade his abilities and his car.

All of this is great. I enjoyed the game, even though it didn't suck me in as other games have. What I didn't like was when it morphed from hack-and-slash into real-time strategy.

As you progress, new types of units for your army are unlocked. In stage battles - so-called because they're presented as a giant, deadly concert - Eddie must create and command the units he wants to use.

I didn't care for these battles. They can be hard to follow because the enemies are so similar in appearance to your guys.

For the most part, you're just creating a bunch of units and throwing them at the enemies, replacing them as they die. There isn't a lot of strategy involved.

I found I was praying that each mission was not a stage battle. Luckily, there are other types of missions.

There are side quests, but, to be blunt, they're boring. The stage battles are better when you take them online in multiplayer mode; at least actual strategy is involved then.

"Brutal Legend" has charm, but it lacks the elements necessary to create a truly compelling experience. Plus, it's short.

I say rent it to experience the tongue-in-cheek humor and great music.

Etc., etc.

-- Favorite character: The evil General Lionwhyte, voiced by Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, sports a glam-metal outfit and ridiculous teased hair that he uses as wings.

-- Tribute: Many of the names in the game are musical references, one of the best being one of the female characters: Lita Halford.

Aimee Green reviews video games for the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, a Lee Enterprises newspaper.