I downloaded the beta for 1 vs 100 on the Xbox last night with a bit of trepidation. It had been advertised on my dashboard for some time and I'd seen countless websites hyping it up over the past few weeks. I'd also been unlucky enough to sit through a few episodes on the BBC before so I wasn't expecting too much.

...Except that my Xbox experience was actually quite enjoyable.

After the beta downloaded, I was whizzed off to the lobby of the virtual studio awaiting a game to become available.

After my avatar was shown to his seat up on the fifth row by a rather attractive blonde, I gesticulated wildly as the audience cheered and the rules were explained.

There I was, sat as one of the 100-strong "Mob", bracing myself for the randomly generated questions. Round one...

...Before I knew it, I was no longer a fresh-faced virgin contestant. Before I knew it, I'd been sat there for the best part of an hour, pressing "X", "A" and "B" in response to the answers that flashed up on my screen. I'd accrued a pretty high score too and been awarded many a bonus for my well-honed general knowledge. Who doesn't know that Rosebud was Citizen Kane's last word for goodness sake? Well, about half the contestants actually - all of whom were promptly eliminated, and deservedly so!

Sure I love my driving games and the shoot-em-ups that whisk you off to some foreign land and allow you to vent your pent up aggression but 1 vs 100 brought another welcome element to the world of console gaming.

It's still a beta version - and free - so I wasn't too surprised to be cruelly ejected from my seat a few times as I was chucked out of the session but asides from that and the sometimes arduous waiting times, I really enjoyed the experience.

It oozed family fun and having already witnessed the programme on TV, managed to blur the virtual world with reality. It almost felt like I could have been sitting in a BBC TV studio last night, rather than alone with a bowl of crisps and a beer, thumb poised to strike the relevant button.

Thankfully you can invite any of your Xbox mates to join you for a game or two so next time perhaps I won't feel like such a loner. I imagine that getting some friends and family to share the experience from your own sofa could also add to a fun experience - and help you with some of the tougher questions.

I reckon I might dip my toe in the water again sometime...and next time, I'm definitely going to win something!