It shouldn't work. It just shouldn't. EyeToy should be over by now. It's had two Christmas seasons of family gimmickry - surely that's more than enough? So how have we come to this: a game that not only does away with the "look like a prat on TV" template, but is also quite fun to play and born from a brilliant idea?

AntiGrav ignores the traditional EyeToy game (an image of yourself overlaid with objects to hit) and instead uses the camera to let you control an on-screen character who surfs on a hoverboard. The sensor tracks your upper body movements, and the man on screen responds accordingly, skimming across rails and roads that twist through futuristic landscapes as you swing your/the character's arms out to hit markers in the air.

It is, finally, a use for the EyeToy that doesn't involve you looking like a prize twat stood in the middle of some garish Saturday morning TV nightmare. Sure, with all the moving, you still look like an idiot, but the humiliation of watching yourself act that way while playing a game is gone.

It's like playing a Tony Hawk's game, but where Tony has been replaced by Superman in a fluorescent suit. And the control system is more instinctive than any other boarding game. You move left, you man moves left. Duck, and he ducks. Jump, and he'll jump. The execution is brilliant, especially among the distinctive neon look of the environments, and an undeniable amount of quality and effort has gone into the production - no surprise given that development team Harmonix made the excellent music games Frequency, Amplitude and Karaoke Stage.

Such ambition, however, almost seems to be the game's undoing. Harmonix has forgotten to put much game in there, with the content itself just a handful of races and some challenges that have you performing tricks. Also, the controls occasionally frustrate, thanks mostly to the device itself. Move too quickly or step out of range and it can slip up; and any accidental move can let the competition race ahead of you. Such hiccups can be dodged by recalibrating or making sure the room you play in is well lit, but they remain as barriers to total enjoyment.

That said, there's still something utterly irresistible to the game when it's working. Speeding through the colourful futurescapes is such a thrill when everything goes to plan. If you can only afford one EyeToy game, then it's probably best to go for the superior EyeToy: Play 2, with its party fun and more immediate use of the technology. But if you want two games for the camera, or have been put off by the kiddie offerings to date, you should give AntiGrav a spin. Despite a few flaws, it's consistently inventive and exciting.

Graphics 70%
Neon cities, like concrete made of sugar.

Sound 70%
Harmonix' music knowledge shows.

Gameplay 80%
A genuine innovation. When it works.

Lifespan 70%
Shallow, but you'll come back for more.

Overall 70%
There's not much to it, but it's still impressive and entertaining. We probably haven't seen the end of this body-tracking idea for EyeToy.