Because it is so much a simulation, Skiing: Alpine Racing is very challenging, especially for the first few hours spent trying to overcome the steep learning curve. The control scheme tells the tale - there's more to this game than just steering the skier through the course. You also have to edge your turns (button one) and prepare for jumps (button two) to minimize air time while trying to stay in a tucked position (forward on the joystick) as much as possible.

Start with downhill racing. It's the easiest of all the events because you don't have to carve as many turns. As with most racing sims, knowing the ins and outs of the course is the most important factor in maintaining a competitive edge. Familiarizing yourself with the courses means a lot of practice and a lot of repetition. But even then, you have to worry about the snow and weather conditions on race day. Skiing a course on which you feel competent in ideal conditions (packed powder, no wind, clear skies) becomes much more difficult on corn snow with gusting winds and the haze of snowfall.

Racing downhill - where the gates are laid out in a relatively straight path before you - is one thing, but what about the Super G, giant slalom, and slalom events? That's when you'll really learn how much skill is required to play this game successfully and competitively. It takes a lot of practice to ski a slalom course without missing a single gate and post a respectable time. (And the best way to play - if not the only practical way - is to use an analog joystick.)

There are a number of tricks you can perform - like daffies, back-scratchers, helicopters, even back flips.

For Windows (32-bit Systems) [*Please review compatibility/platform sections]