Winter Sports 2010: The Great Tournament

Released to coincide with the Winter Olympics but coming out in a week when the country has descended into snow-based chaos/best fun ever (delete according to mental age), it's clearly the time for sub-zero thrills with Winter Sports 2010: The Great Tournament . Reminiscent of Winter Olympiad '88 on the BBC Micro, the title offers today's next-gen consoles a variety of disciplines, including biathlon, speed skating and downhill racing. Sadly, it doesn't quite live up to expectations for either graphics or gameplay. By far the most entertaining events are bobsled and ski jumping, which give a real sense of speed. For the remaining challenges, however, the controls often feel exasperatingly clumsy and unresponsive. Figure skating is particularly hopeless, demanding neither skill nor co-ordination except to follow button sequences Guitar Hero -style throughout. Multiplayer livens it up, as always, but overall a chilly reception – fun but flawed.