AGH Atari 2600 Review: SKIING by Activision Activision's Skiing was the very first home videogame that let you experience all the fun of the sport without the bruises you are likely to get while trying the real thing. There are ten game variations on this cartridge. Degree of difficulty range from the Novice to Olympic, in both slalom runs and downhill events. The joystick is used to guide the skier down the runs. The player has to control the direction of the tips of the skiis the figure on the screen is using. All runs are timed so that you can compete against each other or try for your personal best. Time is lost when a skiier wanders from the course and spends time among the trees; when the skier runs into a flag; when the points of the skis are not straight and the figure weaves erratically from one place to another; and when the skier hits a mogul and falls down. The sounds are minimal, rightfully so. The graphics are blocky but nicely colorful. The figure of the skier is somewhat unusual. It takes awhile to figure out how to point his skiis because it's not readily apparent just where on the figure the feet end and skiis begin. This is very important, since the skier only goes where the skiis point. The moguls, slick patches of hardened snow, are placed randomly throughout the course, usually directly in front of the alley between the flags. A running couter on the screen keeps track of the time and number of gates or meters remaining. There are eight different positions your skiing figure can potentially use. These are helpful only in getting the skier back into a straight position, or for skiing around the mountain for the fun of it. This is great fun, and has long lasting play value. There are enough options to keep the game interesting and easy to come back to. You don't have to be any kind of athlete or sports enthusiast to enjoy this video treat, and you don't have to worry about dressing warm in order to play it. Title Skiing Publisher Activision System Atari 2600 (VCS) Graphics 7 Sound 5 Gameplay 5 Overall 6 Reviewer Keita Iida