Following successful outings on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, Electronic Arts' SSX Tricky has hit the Nintendo Gamecube with its mix of high-octane thrills and snowboarding spills.

The game has an international cast of "all or nothing" characters and a premium on a fantastic array of trick moves and outlandish free-style combos to make it stand out from a crowd of similar titles.

The gameplay is excellent for the most part and completing those outrageous, and somewhat painful looking, "uber tricks" is pretty straightforward, thanks to simple controls and clever use of the GameCube's innovative controller.

You can breakdance along your snowboard as you drop 500 metres off the side of a mountain, among many wacky options.

Just about every aspect of the game is fun and challenging.

The soundtrack is pretty good, too, with hip artists, such as Aphrodite and The Plump DJs making strong contributions.

Things go downhill when it comes to the graphics. They are poor and do not reflect the high standard the GameCube has been designed to handle.

But if you come from the old school of thought that gameplay comes before seamless graphics, you will not be disappointed.

Some of us can still remember when Pong - two bars and a square ball - rocked our world.

Price: £39.99.

Contact: www.ea.com
Feel good factor: 8 out of 10.