All the thrills of the stunt rider

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Have you ever been attracted by the thrill of jumping a powerful motorcycle over a row of London buses, but never fancied the gravel rash at the other end?

You would probably be well advised to take a few practice runs using Eddie Kidd's Stunt Challenge from Martech.

The cassette contains versions for both the BBC and Electron.

Those of you with monochrome monitors will be pleased to learn that once the program has loaded you are asked whether you want colour.

Replying "no" selects colours that give better contrast on monochrome sets.

When starting the program you will be required to make your first two jumps on a BMX bike. These completed you graduate to a five geared motorcycle. This is where the fun begins.

The rider kick starts the bike and then waits for you to rev up the engine and put it into gear. With all the grace of a baby giraffe you will then proceed to wheelie the machine and fall flat on your back.

This won't be the last time that you find yourself in this position. Don't over-rev...

Before attempting a jump you must assess how far to ride away from the ramp to give yourself a sufficient run up.

Having reached this position you turn the bike around, blip the throttle, kick her into gear, and build up speed. Careful gear changes will keep the front wheel on the ground until you reach the ramp.

It is at this point that you find out whether you judged your run up correctly. Too slow and you fail to reach the far ramp. Too fast and you clear the ramp, land with a thud, and have tears in your eyes.

The player has total control at all times. By blipping the throttle during the approach you can lift the front wheel and get a bigger bonus for clearing the jump.

Even in mid-air the rider has to be moved backwards and forwards on the machine to ensure that it touches down at the correct angle.

If the real thing is half as challenging as this then I will definitely be sticking to my bicycle.

Jon Revis