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I must admit that the idea of reviewing a motorcycle game didn't exactly fill me with excitement. However, the program didn't seem to take the usual age to load as other discs, and the first screen offering lots of options, was very professional.

Some vaguely familiar music plays in the background, as you select the number of players and joysticks, and the three courses to attempt. In all there are 27, and you can choose from three groups of eight, after trying your hand at the practice circuit.

The basic idea is very simple. You take you and your bike to the Kickstart trials, and have to progress through the various courses in as little time as possible. Obviously, going flat-out won't get you very far. And you'll soon realise that if you are going to finish in any half-decent time, it's necessary to get some pretty fine control on the joystick!

When you begin play, you are "greeted" by some pretty dire music from the TV programme.

Movement is quite straightforward; push the stick left and you'll slow down, right and you will speed up. Up will cause a wheelie, and pressing the fire button will make you jump.

At first, everything seemed easy. Only a few jumps and hazards to negotiate. Rapidly though, life became much trickier, and, what with buses, gravel, spring-boards and mystery traps, I seemed to spend more time on the deck than on the bike!

Each obstacle must be tackled in a different way.

It's possible to crash in a quite spectacular way. A particular favourite is failling off the back of the cycle, and letting it roll away. I could repeat that one at any time I wanted...!

The game proved rather frustrating after a time. If you fall off halfway through an obstacle, you may have to ride quite a long way before re-joining the course.

Graphics are good, and the speed is acceptable. It's a good game, and is instantly enjoyable, as there's no need to learn obscure joystick or keyboard instructions.