When I first fired this game up the first thing that hit me was the sound track, I thought ok another "Extreme Sports" game (Cool Boarders for the PlayStation or Motocross Madness for the PC), and to a degree I was right. The gameplay and concept follow those type of games very closely, go fast, catch some major air, do some really outrageous stunts, and then try to land without crashing. Pretty simple and straight forward but with a twist, this time we are going to do it on Snowmobiles!

Ski-doo Team Racing comes with enough options to allow you to set graphics, sound, controllers, gameplay, and much more. In gameplay you have the options of Practice (Race a course by yourself against the clock), Championship (Race several courses against other computer generated riders, you must finish well to progress to the next race), and Multi-player (Allows you to race against others on-line).

Graphics in this game are great, plenty of wonderful winter scenery to view as you wiz by, just remember that a snow covered tree is no softer than a regular tree so try to avoid those, they HURT!  Ski-doo comes with a variety of tracks from flat and fast to bumpy treacherous tracks that will test your riding abilities.  

Because the game is set in a beautiful winter wonderland you will be challenged to follow the track layouts, the surrounding country side is white, and the track is white, you really have to keep you eyes peeled or you'll go zooming right past your turn! Checkpoints are laid out along the length of the course and you have to pass through each to complete the lap, miss one and you will have to go back and find it. You will also have the ability to lean left, right, forward, and back to help control your snowmobile, but be careful, lean too far one way and you will find yourself laying in the snow wondering what happened!

While the graphics in this game get better and better the higher you turn them up, remember that the lower they are the smoother the game will run and believe me you will need every advantage you can get to be able to negotiate some of the wild snow covered tracks you will encounter.

A good controller is very important to playing this game, a joystick, game pad, or freewheel controller will only add to your control and enjoyment. I tested this game using several controllers including a Microsoft Precision Pro Joystick and a Traxxas Freewheel Controller and found that the Freewheel Controller was much much better as it came with  fully variable throttle response. The game plays a bit twitchy under the default settings, but after a few minor adjustments I had that snowmobile howling around the tracks, dodging trees and passing every competitor in site!

And finally a game that gives you a cheat code with the game. In the back of the instruction booklet is a code for "Superboost" WHHHOOOOAAA....Hang on Dude! Other cheats are available on-line too.

If you are a fan of the "Extreme Sports" genre of games then this one is worth a play. It has a few new twists that set it apart from the rest of the winter time games, this one comes MOTORIZED! So climb aboard, fire it up, hang on real tight, and try not to get Frostbite!

(Remember that this is only a game and such stunts should NEVER be attempted on a real snowmobile)

Installation: Easy

Installation is a breeze, the Installation Wizard is quick and complete. If you need Direct X installed, the Wizard will even prompt you to do that.

Gameplay: 8

The game starts out a bit twitchy and hard to control but a few minor tweaks to the setup and it gets much better. If available I suggest you use a controller with variable throttle response (I used a Traxxas Freewheel Controller for this game and it is superior to the keyboard or even a joystick), if none is available then experiment with the drag brake method (while at full throttle tap the brake button to help you through the turns), or the sub stained throttle method (when approaching a turn let off the throttle to reduce speed, when speed drops to a level appropriate for the turn tap the throttle repeatedly to hold that speed through the turn).

Game is very much like the PS Cool Boarders games in concept and game play, you can race for time or go for some super stunts. Way Cool Dude! Game includes a Practice mode, Championship mode, and Multi-player mode, heck they even throw in the "superboost" cheat code in the instructions and other cheats are available on-line.

Game gives you a fair amount of options to set the game up the way you like. Would liked to have seen more Snowmobile options such as paint skins and maybe some engine tuning.....maybe in Ski-doo II??

Graphics: 8

Graphics in this game are pretty darn good, especially if you are running an upper end computer and video card capable of handling higher dpi settings. I tested at 800X600 dpi at 16 bit and the graphics were very good and the game played smooth as silk. The game does give you plenty of options to set the graphics to run on your computer.

Sound: 6

The Sound track for the game is very much like the PS Cool Boarders Games, hot tracks of new music, very appropriate for an "Extreme Sports" game of this genre. The draw back is the gameplay sounds, the snowmobile sounds like a blender and the announcer gets very annoying (be sure to turn him off in the "Sound Options").

Difficulty: 8

Game gets progressively harder as you work your way through the Championship. Game also gives you several "Difficulty Settings". The hardest part of the game (in racing mode) will be trying to follow the track (this ain't black asphalt laid out across green fields, this is snow baby! It's all white!), and trying to land your jumps (in stunt mode).

Concept: 6.5

Game concept is the same as many other "Extreme Sports" games (ei. Cool Boarders, Motocross Madness, etc.) Go fast and do as many stunt as you can, the more major air you catch the better. However I do believe this is the first time we have seen it done on snowmobiles, and that does add a new twist that makes the game worth a try.

Multiplayer: 7.5

Multi-player on-line gaming is great, dive in and find some guys to cut some snow with, go for the big jumps and catch some major air!

Overall: 7.5

This Game gives you some great winter time racing or stunt action, good graphics and challenging tracks will keep you occupied for hours. If you like the "Extreme Sports" genre of games then this one is worth a play.