The large number of hectic extreme sports games would indicate that gamers everywhere are guilty of excessive Pepsi Max quaffage. We can't get enough of all things urban and cool, it seems, including BMX action. Now that Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 has been out a while, Mat Hoffman is getting in on the BMX box act.

The game is based on a pro tour of the US organised by Activision last year. It's a neat idea, art imitating life, and all that. But in terms of gameplay, this is staler than Mat's sarnies, which he accidentally left at home before going on tour.

You get levels with various goals to reach in order to unlock further levels, objectives and bikes. Rack up a certain number of points, knock over x number of y, that kind of thing.

The template is wearing a bit thin, frankly, especially since there's nothing new here. Tasks which involve knocking things down, or doing stunts over certain objects, are as dull as they are in Dave Mirra 2. On the large levels, such objectives turn into irritating memory tests rather than a matter of skill. It wouldn't grate so much if the game mechanics were as silky smooth as those in the leader of the extreme sports pack, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. But they're not. Perhaps, dare we say it, BMX simply isn't as suited to gaming as skateboarding.

Hoffman's trick system, like that of Mr Mirra, is disjointed and ungainly compared with the liquid joy found in the Hawkster's games. Some people may prefer a BMX game, though. But they shouldn't get this one.

For a start, the control method has clearly not been designed with the Xbox pad in mind. The Black and White buttons require frequent use, for modifying stunts and manuals respectively, and these buttons aren't designed to be used as main gameplay buttons. Getting to them in the middle of a combo is awkward.

To make matters worse, manuals are tricky to initiate, with the game frequently refusing to acknowledge your manual-starting input. The collision detection is a tad stingy when you're trying to collect things in mid-air, meaning you need to be very precise with imprecise controls.

Another annoyance is the way things take ages to get going again after you fall over, making the time limit more of a pain than an extra-small bike saddle. And it looks almost like a PSone game at times. And somehow manages to run the detail-free environments at a sluggish pace.

There's very little imagination on show in Mat Hoffman's, and it's not as good as Dave Mirra 2, which can be picked up at a reduced price if you look. It's redundant and unspecial, but at least it isn't Gravity Games.

1. Two or three good ideas going on
2. It's alright to play...

1. ...but that's about it, really
2. Very ropey
3. Awkward controls

Power
A seriously unimpressive burst, with a shortage of both smoothness and detail.

Style
As you would expect it to be: extreme sports chic with litle flair or imagination.

Immersion
Awkward, unresponsive controls and been there, done that gameplay make this unaddictive.

Lifespan
Plenty of objectives, nine big locations and a park builder to fiddle with.

Summary
A completely average extreme sports game that fails to register even a spike on the graph of gaming excitement.