Skateboarding for all ages hits the mark

By Victoria Kay

Wile E. Coyote takes a close look at his deck

My thanks to Martin Kingsley on this review. All he ever told me was that this game "runs on the Tony Hawk engine" and he promised me a quote too, which he never gave me (why am I somehow not surprised?).

Anyway, I'll start with general idea behind the game (ducks handfuls of rotting vegetables that are being pelted at her).

I know, I know, not very interesting, but if I don't explain this, you're not going to be able to understand a word I type starting from now (Picks cabbage leaves from her hair).

This game is Tony Hawk, except for a younger audience. There is no 'Gore' setting, unlike TH, so at worst your character will be seeing stars upon having a high-speed collision with the pavement.

There is also a difficulty setting, so you can choose whether you want to play as a 'Pro Skater' (in other words, if you want to do tricks using all the little twiddly-bits, like with the Hawkmeister), or if you want to use the easier setting, so you don't have to do any serious button-bashing.

Okay, now for the exciting part (takes refuge behind her desk as she is once again pelted with vegetables). The characters are exciting. You can choose to make your own skater, or choose from the Extreme Skate Crew. They are rather cool, but I prefer to make my own (the green hair did it for me).

Also, there are the Disney/Pixar characters to choose from. You can choose any character you want, including Young Tarzan, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Zurg, Simba, Nala, Rafiki, Pumbaa & Timon, the list just goes on and on.

Pumbaa & Timon up to their usual tricks

Please be aware though, some of these characters will need to be unlocked by completing levels, and these characters can only skate in their own worlds as well.

The sound really is something the boys at Toys For Bob (the developers) should be proud of.

The game contains a Jukebox, which consists of some of the most appropriate and up-beat music I've heard for in quite a while. Some of the artists featured are Smash Mouth, Basement Jaxx, and Lil' Romeo.

The eye-candy is excellent for a kids game; the FMV sequences are smooth and pleasing and the Extreme Skate Crew are well detailed and have no glitches, despite being rather clumsy. Also, the clothes and accessories look really cool.

The scenery and background in the levels are all very detailed and contain some excellent ramps and rails. There are various levels and difficulties, such as Scar's Canyon and Pride Rock (from the Lion King), the Human Camp and the Deep Jungle (from Tarzan), and Zurg's Planet and Pizza Planet (from Toy Story).

All in all, a great game that Disney has clearly put its heart and soul into, and a really good idea as a Christmas present for the kiddies. I'd probably say it was for the age group of about 10-15 year olds -- any older than that and they'll be clamouring for Tony Hawk.

Game: Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure
System: PS2
Players: 1-2
Online: No
Developer: Toys for Bob
Distributor: Activision

Rating: 90%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure is on the shelves now.