Jet skis are a hard beast to do justice on a console. You've got many factors to consider. Why does it sometimes look as though you're jet skiing on sheets of smashed slate instead of water? Does my bum look big in this? The collision detection suggests I should now be utterly dead rather than just slightly wet, why is this? It's a difficult task to juggle, and although Argonaut has developed with water on the brain (in the nicest possible sense you understand), there are quite a few balls being dropped.

Essentially Carve seems to be an exercise in 'ooing', and 'aahing' at the superb physics of the binary briny. Waves undulate and lap gently on the shore, wake kicks up a foamy spray and the skis bob buoyantly on the surface. If this were a stationary boat show, we'd all be laughing. Unfortunately though, there's a weird conflict of interests at work with Carve. On one hand you're forced to finish within allotted time frames to progress, and on the other you're encouraged to perform Rush manoeuvres and tricks which unlock extra courses and characters. Tricks often slow you down so you find yourself cutting them out completely simply in order to qualify. And we were so looking forward to cutting a body whip followed by a superman/air walk combo too.

Even when you do acquire enough points to reach the next skill level, if you reach your target before you've played all the stages you're still forced to complete them anyway. A minor gripe perhaps, but why waste time on thankless tasks that don't further the game? Makes us shake our fists like angry old men it does. Perhaps if the courses were more inspired then we wouldn't even have noticed being dragged through them in the first place, but this is another area that stagnates more than a bowl of wet socks.

Our toes curled when we saw the obligatory ice level, as they did when a (albeit lush) Caribbean course popped up. Yet even this wouldn't have mattered if the courses weren't so rigidly structured. A slalom system penalises you for wandering, so short cuts, hidden bonuses and secret paths are merely wet dreams.

Carve boxes you in, constricts you to race from A to B as fast as possible, and that's where it leaves you, without a sense of true fun, and exposing its achingly normality in one fell blow. And it had so much potential too, especially with that oh-so pretty water. It's a shame then, that the fun just evaporates like a mist in a hot wind.

1. Ace water effects
2. Live support
3. Nice jet ski physics

1. Courses too linear
2. Tricks can be pointless
3. Unimaginative courses

Power
No other console does water like an Xbox, but that's your lot as far as processing power goes.

Style
Packed with geographical clichés, its like Wave Race done by a Pop Idol reject. Style
? Nope.

Immersion
Hardly drenches you in hand-wringing glee, but it's okay for a quick ten minutes.

Lifespan
Takes an agonisingiy long time to complete everything. You'll need to buy a supersized bag of patience.

Summary
Bog standard racer that's too linear and unimaginative to be a serious thrill ride long term. Five minutes should cover it.