Ski-Doo X-Team Racing

Despite cashing in on the current extreme sports phenomenon, ski-doo...(ing?) is hardly spurting up the cliff face of pulse-pounding, limb-shattering media entertainment. In fact, it's more likely to be found sandwiched in the pre-dawn Channel 5 schedule between Extreme Ludo and Ultimate I Power Fly Fishing. Still, it's a moderately good idea for a game. And it saves a fortune on coloured paint.

There are 15 courses on offer, with half unlocked only after winning the increasingly difficult championships. Which leads us quickly on to highlight the game's main failing: that being, it's only possible to save after winning every second race. Fine on the easy courses, but having just scraped a decent win on a later course, losing on the next and having to do the first again can prove dispiriting. It's slight, but couple this with exponentially harder races and opponents as well as no continues and it's either a commendable extension of game length or arse, depending on your point of view.

Having never ridden a snowmobile before, I'm not entirely qualified to comment on how realistic the handling is, but if it means jerking wildly after every minor bump it does its job well. Just a few mistakes can see you relegated to the back of the pack very quickly. It doesn't help, though, when the dubious replacement system often places you off the course in deep snow, and in front of an obstacle, as it's wont to do.

Nevertheless, driver AI is surprisingly commendable. The other riders don't all follow a pretentiously perfect racing line and often attempt to take the type of shortcuts and risky jumps the player would, resulting in them tumbling crack-necked into the packed snow.

It's nothing special and the lacklustre game structure and graphics don't do it any favours, nevertheless it's competently entertaining and that's that.