Graphics

The N-Gage shows us how powerful a system it is with THPS (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater). The graphics are possibly the best graphics I have seen on any handheld system before; this truly is portable gaming to the max.

At times the graphics can be blocky, and a bit 'jerky' but most of the time the game runs smoothly and is a pleasure to play. The details of the rider and board are also very well put together, when you do a 'behemma' (that is a skateboarding move to all the people which do not 'talk the lingo') you can see the great artwork on the bottom of the board.

The menus are simple, but put together in a convincing fashion which makes it easy to operate. The level designs are very well done, it is funny how a shopping mall has so many ramps and rails to perform skateboarding tricks on. The best design of a level is in the downtown area, where it is basically a free-roam, and you can do whatever you want.

Sound

This is the best aspect about THPS, the sound. Personally I believe that I have never heard such good sound quality on any handheld before. The music tracks are fantastic, done by bands such as Dead Kennedy's and Unsane. There is nothing like listening to rock music with incredible amounts of profanity while skateboarding.

That is the trouble though, in the UK THPS has a 12+ rating, but some of the tracks are very explicit. 'Euro-Barge' impaticular is incredibly racist, and the Dead Kennedy's song contains a great amount of sexualy orientated lyrics. Saying this though, you cannot hear the lyrics too well through the tiny speaker, only if you read the lyrics online.

Sounds such as dripping water, screeches of skateboard wheels and the 'ouch' of a rider when they fall off add to the affect very well.

Gameplay

The gameplay is as good as the original. It may take a few tries to get used to it properly, but when you do you still get the same rush as you did from the original. Grinding is still just as easy, as so is pulling off tricks.

It is occasionally annoying when you have to stick to a track to get to a certain 'hidden tape' or such, as going at speed makes it difficult to stay on track, and can take an awful lot of tries to actually get the object.

Story

To unlock levels you must play through career mode. You need to get tapes to unlock boards and areas, and on two levels you need medals to get past (you win them by entering competitions). The only trouble is, by completing you do not get rewarded. In the original you got videos of bands and skaters, in this version, nothing. The game is fairly easy to complete, but when you have you will keep coming back for the odd go.

The N-Gage Arena is a truly great function in this game. It allows you to download hints and cheats, upload and watch player clips and best of all play against somebody else's shadow. It is very fun indeed to compete against players all across the globe and then see your user-name up on the global rankings. All these functions add to the replay value.

Summary

All in all THPS is one of the best games for the N-Gage, and is well worth buying. The novelty may wear off eventually, but you will get a good skate for your money. DI