Carve (Xbox)

Reviewed by JON MINIFIE

Herald rating: * * *

The word carve conjures up images of surfing (or roast chicken) yet I assure you, this is a Jet Ski title. Because of fiddly licensing agreements, developers Argonaut weren't allowed to even call them Jet Skis — in this game you ride watercraft instead.

If you have played Nintendos Wave Race: Blue Storm then you will know just how much fun one can have with this little-known genre. Over the years we have seen the odd title (Jet Ski Rider and Splashdown) making minor waves on the PlayStation2 but scarcely a ripple on the Xbox.

Argonaut has obviously borrowed heavily from genre leader Wave Race Blue Storm but they have added several nice touches of their own. Carve offers more than 25 well-crafted racing circuits, compared to Wave Race's rather stingy eight tracks.

For the single player, the game features quick race, arcade and tournaments, but the game's true strength is its multiplayer facility. Carve has the full list of options, including two or four-player split screen, co-op racing, and Xbox live events for up to eight players.

Each course is dotted with buoys and ramps that provide opportunities for big air and tricks (about 30 in total to master).

Pulling these off successfully earns a sudden burst of speed, although players have no control over this and if you're not careful you can boost straight into a barrier or wall.

The water effects are top notch, boasting tricks like real-time reflection and a gorgeous back spray that slowly drips down the camera, as in Quantum Redshift.

The handling physics in the water is near perfect too, with just the right amount of buoyancy versus speed. In some ways they are almost too realistic and I can't help but wonder why they didn't replace some of the dogged realism with SSX-style mayhem.

Price: $59.95

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