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Just when everyone thought a pedestrian's limbs were safe ... back come the skateboarders in 720°, licensed from an Atari coin-op.

One of these potential legamputators has been let loose in Skate City, and you control his every leap and movement. There are four parks in which this athlete can jump, climb ramps, run downhill or slalom. Points (and medals) are earned for each trick and with these our man can add to his stock of tickets, which allow him to enter skateboard parks.

But beware: the streets aren't safe for skateboarders. Speeding bikers zip along the highways, and any injudicious contact with one of these leather-clad road hogs temporarily knocks our hero onto his butt and precious time is lost. There are also some ponds for him to fall into.

To compensate for these hazards, he can pick up dollar bills and earn bonus points by running over hidden locations.

There are shops where better equipment, pads, boards, shoes and helmets can be bought to improve performance and earn extra points. To buy them, use the cash prizes you can accumulate for special stunts.

The position of all shops and parks can be revealed by activating one of the street-map pads, or by following the direction-indicators.

If the skateboarder wastes too much time shopping, or sitting immobilised on the floor, killer bees swarm after him on skateboards. Sanctuary can be sought in a park, but only if a valid ticket is held. Still, if he survives these beasts with a sting in their rear ends, your wheeled hero can live to skate another day.

Joysticks: Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: realistic, with detailed and smoothly-animated characters
Sound: poor spot effects
Options: trainer/advanced levels

'720° is amusing and good to play the first few times, and it looks very Paper Boyesque. But it soon loses its appeal.'

'Yeah! Now this is my kind of game. The inhabitants of Ludlow don't take too kindly to 'youngsters' rolling the streets at night, but now all my worries are over - I can have all the enjoyment of big-city skateboarding in the comfort of my own home. The play area of 720° scrolls superbly, and it's filled with some great animated characters. It's very easy to get into, but as the game progresses the difficulty doesn't increase significantly - and addictiveness suffers. Still, there's nothing else anything like this, and US Gold has set a superb standard.'

'I can't recall ever playing anything like 720°. The graphics are amazing, with effects such as break dancers and people having fights. It takes some time to get used to the control method, but once that's mastered it's plain skating all the way. My only complaint is that 720° could have been made harder: for instance, the ice parks could have become progressively more difficult. Fans of the arcade original will love this game, it's so playable and addictive - and it's one of the most imaginative games to emerge this year.'