SKI OR DIE

 Regardless of the time of year, when your thoughts turn to summer fun, what
better time for a skiing game? Er, let's try that again. Hey, dude...doncha miss
the slopes? The action? The snow bunnies? Okay, Electronic Arts' SKI OR DIE (a
sequel of sorts to SKATE OR DIE) doesn't have any snow bunnies. But it does have
five winter events and a nicely warped sense of humor. (This review is based on
the IBM-PC version of the game; Commodore 64/128 version notes follow.)

 You start out at Rodney's Ski Shop. Rod's a tad, um, gonzo, and he has some
funny things to say. You can register for competition and select the appropriate
options, but there's not a lot to do there, so why hang out when the slopes are
waiting? (Actually, I really longed for the depth of the cycle shop in
HARLEY-DAVIDSON, where there's a lot to explore and all sorts of goodies to
buy.) Go to the Village Square, and choose your event.

 The "Downhill Blitz" has you (what else?) skiing downhill. There's an overhead
shot of your character as you maneuver down a series of narrow paths. You'll
have to make the occasional jump, and steer clear of the bodies of other skiers
who never quite made the grade. The other skiing event, "Acro Aerials," has you
making a jump and then performing some acrobatics, picked by a combination of
pushing the joystick and pressing the fire button.

 "Snowboard Halfpipe" is more of a skateboard sort of event. Zoom down a tube on
your snowboard, evading or jumping over obstacles. "Innertube Thrash" is what
you might think: Go down the side of a mountain on an innertube, with the
addition here being that you can pick up items on the way to puncture your
opponent's tube or repair yours as it falls apart.

 And what winter would be complete without a snowball war? Certainly not this
one, so there's "Snowball Blast." Standing in your fort, you've got one minute
to take out the 50 little brats surrounding you, as well as Punk Penguins,
Eskimos, "Most Abominable Snow Things," and yeah, okay, "Chainsaw Bunnies."

 The IBM-PC version of SKI OR DIE comes on two 5-1/4" diskettes (3-1/2"
diskettes are available separately, or by mailing in an enclosed coupon with a
check for $7.50). The game can be installed to your hard disk, after which it
relies on manual copy protection each time you boot it.

 Graphics support is here for CGA, EGA, and Tandy. EGA graphics are very nice,
with a lot of detail. Sound board support is provided for the Roland MT32 and
AdLib boards. The game can be played from the keyboard or with a joystick.

 Most of the events are fairly easy to master, and I think only a select few
will want to return to SKI OR DIE once they've gotten the hang of it. I kept
hoping for a bit more depth -- perhaps winning money in events, which could go
toward equipment upgrades; or maybe if there were some snow bunnies hanging out
at Rodney's.... Still, SKI OR DIE earns high marks for its detailed graphics and
sense of humor. It deserves at least a look.

 COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES

 Although some of the graphic extras are missing, the C64/128 version of SKI OR
DIE is much the same as the above-described IBM-PC version. Everything looks all
right -- not quite as all right as SKATE OR DIE (from which the always-topical
Electronic Arts derived the SKI idea), but all right nevertheless.

 The Snowball Blast has no Chainsaw Bunnies, Eskimos, Bermuda Bears, Ski
Instructors, or Most Abominable Snow Things; you will see lots of Brats, as well
as Shovels, Stars (for rapid fire), and Snowball Stashes. The Innertube Thrash
has no Lawn Darts, Patches, Mousetraps, or Beartraps; it does have Dinner Forks
and Pocket Knives, useful for puncturing enemy tubes; and there are Pumps, for
refilling your tube. There is also The Spike, which deflates tubes right now.
Chainsaw Bunnies and Punk Penguins have been dropped from the Snowboard
Half-Pipe; the Logs remain and the Stars are worth fifteen points.

 The C64 version of SKI is controlled with a joystick, and the game supports as
many as six players. The Spacebar is needed to switch between North and South
views in the Snowball Blast. The SKI OR DIE package comes with one double-sided
disk that's copy-protected, a foldout poster-sized instruction manual, and a C64
Command Summary card.

 SKI OR DIE on the C64 looks and sounds okay; it's easy to learn if you've never
played it, and easy to play once you've learned it. The animation sequences of
the Acro Aerials are especially notable, even if the judges in that event are
really rough. Overall, though, there isn't much to the game, and the individual
events aren't all that difficult. I think the thing to do here is to
procrastinate: Invent excuses to prevent yourself from purchasing it now,
because sooner or later Electronic Arts will reduce SKI's current price to
something more affordable.

 SKI OR DIE is published and distributed by Electronic Arts.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253