Ask Ray Winstone to name the daddy of snowboarding sims and he'd probably look puzzled. Ask any PS2 owner, however, and they'll answer in a flash. SSX Tricky set the benchmark with its high speeds, outlandish tricks and engaging characters. Any game that goes up against it needs to be top-notch to even compete.

Sadly, Alpine Racer 3 isn't. With limited tricks, bland courses, no boost meter or fighting and a bunch of easily forgettable characters, it's hamstrung from the start. Its main innovation is that you can ski as well as snowboard. It's competent, but extremely unspectacular and only covers the bases. There are Time Attack, four-competitor Cross Race and two-player Versus modes but these are nothing more than unrewarding snowy slogs.

There is an engaging Slalom mode in which you zip between flags, and the Extreme Winners' Cup Career mode (earn money to buy new equipment and unlock new courses). Diverting, but they won't keep you hooked.

Alpine Racer 3 just can't keep up with the competition. When the most interesting thing about a game is the little Pac-Man characters who scroll across the screen with your checkpoint times, you know something's not right.

The Alpine Racer series started out as an arcade game, complete with a 'huge pair of skis' peripheral. It's great when played that way, but at home with a joypad, it's on a slippery slope indeed.

There are so many hot winter sports sims out there. This fails to keep up with the competition.

We wanted skis in SSX Tricky.

It's got nothing on EA Big's game!