Cheap Skate
Copyright/Publisher: Future Designs, Program By: Daryl Bowers, Graphic Design By: Pixel Perfect, Concept By: Andrew Morriss, Ian Bastone & Daryl Bowers, Music By: David Whittaker, Release Year: 1988, Genre: Skateboard, Number Of Players: 1

It's obvious really. You're the new kid in town, so all you want to do is make loads and loadsa friends. It's pretty good job then, that your best friend, for the moment, is a skateboard. You may look like a nerd most of the time, but when you get on that groovy piece of wood you start to look like a nerd with some power.

Anyway, your spots can't be that bad because the leader of the local 'boarding' gang has offered to give you a membership test. All you have to do is cope with fireballs, rolling, spheres and headheight bars.

Got that? So hit the streets!

Gordon Houghton
I'm not the world's greatest skateboarding fan (all the boards I ever had just snapped) and I've never been very good at getting the hang of skateboarding sims, but this one was just about easy enough - even for me.

You don't have to spend ages working out the control method or trying to execute that perfect back flip - just grab hold of the joystick and get stuck in. I'm not sure about the lastability though. It's hard to see exactly what's ahead so you really need to have memorised the course. That's OK for the first four gos but maybe not the fifth or sixth...

K.H.
Right! Let's get straight down to the nitty gritty. Do you want a proper skateboard sim with plenty of complicated manoeuvres and incredibly complex jumping opportunities, or not? If you do, get yourself a copy of Code Masters' Pro Skateboars Sim because that's a lot more like the real thing.

On the other hand, if you just want to muck about or can't think of a present to give your brother (what do you mean you're not giving him anything?) give this a go. I'm not saying it's as easy as falling off a log but who ever said that games had to be easy to be fun? Anyway, what else are you going to be doing on those long and boring winter nights? On second thoughts, don't answer that.


INTRO SCREEN

PRESENTATION 57%
Smart loading screen and detailed info panel but that's about it.
GRAPHICS 72%
Interesting scrolling angle, clear and detailed sprites.
SOUND 65%
A tune to go skateboarding to.
HOOKABILITY 64%
Lively enough to grab you straight away.
LASTABILITY 59%
Memorising the levels might get slightly tedious.
OVERALL 64%
A cheap skate for all the family - and you don't have to be an expert.