The first three quarters of an hour at least is heavily devoted to falling off buses, sliding chin-first along gravel tracks and crawling out of the mud. The next hour or so sees a small amount of control and a large number of slightly less spectacular spills and eventually it might be possible to become reasonably proficient, but let it be made clear, this is not an easy game.

Trials riding, the event where normally sane men spend several hours on motorcycles, hurling themselves over cars, through hedges and into deep ditches, collecting large amounts of mud and generally making themselves unpopular with the wildlife, is the name of the game. Although to what extent the hobby of madmen can realistically be simulated on a computer is a debatable point, relying, as it does, on intense pain for enjoyment.

On the other hand, if you forget what it's trying to be, Kikstart is an enjoyable, if initially frustrating game. You get to choose lots of nice obstacles to fall from, hedges, barrels, buses, that kind of thing and the controls bear a passing resemblance to the real thing - you can wheelie, jump, go faster or go slower. If you get fed up playing against the clock you can even enlist the help of a friend and let him fall off with you.