Multiplayer, you say...
Yup. You can split the screen four ways for that full-on Multi-Tap extravaganza. This is where the game really comes into its own.

But I don't have a Multi-Tap. Or any friends.
Worry not, there's a welter of single player levels. Together with the aforementioned shortcuts, the mountains hide all manner of hazards. You can trigger the odd avalanche if you're not careful (you might want to if you can bury your opponents), and look out for those darned grizzly bears.

What else?
There are 12 courses on which to skid along, and some feature mud, slush and the odd bit of grass as well as the ubiquitous snow. Once you've completed the circuits, the tracks are then 'mirrored' so you have to learn how to traverse them backwards. The idea is that as you win races, you win cash and upgrade the sled - indeed, there are 400, 600 and 800cc classes through which to progress.

Does that mean I have to go uphill?
No, but there are the usual hazardous weather conditions you find atop alpine mountains, including sun, rain and fog. Oh, and trickiest of all is when you have to negotiate night races with just a headlamp for company.

What about the racers?
Usual stuff. The characters are rated in a number of ways (acceleration, tricks, speed, stability, etc) and their snowmobiles are coloured to fit their personality. For instance, Travis is a southern redneck and his sled looks a bit like a stock car.

A good racer based on snow, then?
Sled Racer is certainly shaping up to be one of the better attempts at racing on snow. It isn't optimised yet, as the replay feature attests. You can ride the perfect race, but when you click on 'Replay' you seem to crash loads of times. The PlayStation just rewrites your racing history. Smashing.


* Great visuals (at last)
* One to four players can race
* Loads of secret routes and short cuts
* Decent handling
* It's still 'racing on snow' though