PC Game Roundup

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The real reason people watch a plank speeding down a hill strapped to two further planks is in the hope that he or she crashes. Of course this rarely happens, unless you're a virtual skier with no care for his pixellated life and a wish to thoroughly road-test a game's collision detection. In this case, it happens a lot. And the collision detection, incidentally, is a little ropey (ski vaguely close to something and you'll almost certainly hit it).

Alpine Ski Racing presents you with a league-based career mode as the main course of its skiing buffet (alongside one-off cups, an arcade mode, and a basic multiplayer). There are management aspects to tinker with here - you can hire a coach to train and improve your skier's statistics, and a waxer to wax your moustache. Well, either that or your skis - the correct wax mixture can be crucial to a fast time.

You can spend your money on expensive coaches and waxers, or splash it out on better gear instead; fancier skis, poles, or a more streamlined helmet. The equipment provides a more noticeable upgrade than your stats, but in all honesty there isn't a huge amount of depth on the management front.

The racing itself is also kept simple - you accelerate, steer, and there's a key to carve into the snow for sharper turns. Getting the correct line and mastering the latter skill is the key to fast times, and pelting downhill is initially quite enjoyable, the graphics conveying a good sense of speed. After a while, however, the races rather blur into one, as only the slalom is significantly different from the others (with its unrelenting tight turns).