As for the gameplay itself, suffice to say, you should tighten your trucks, burnish your bearings, grab your grip tape and prepare for take off. Whether you're an Ollie novice (and all this jargon means nothing to you) or a Melancholy master, there's something for everyone.

Vert (ramp) tricks can be easily achieved simply by concentrating on your landings, while the more experienced you become, the bigger the combos you can achieve. There's an entire catalogue of tricks to learn before you even get started on the game itself. Once you've mastered the basics you can work on unlocking the many different courses by collecting video tapes(!) and other bonuses dotted around the arenas. Tapes can also be earned by scoring points for tricks completed, although by that stage you should be considering turning pro.

You can also strut your stuff in various competitions where points are awarded for complex tricks. However, there's no room for one-trick ponies; to succeed, you need to master a wide range of pretty difficult crowd-pleasers. Granted, it's not the most realistic of games; even Hawkes himself couldn't pull off some of the combos possible in the game.

THS's defiantly arcade slant is a sure bonus; transforming the always dynamic, often dramatic sport into even more of an adrenaline rush. Whatever tickles your fancy, there's no disputing good quality gaming when it runs you down in the High Street.