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The latest in a long line of sports compendiums to be converted from their original 8-bit formats whisks you off to snowy mountain climes for some arctic antics played over seven events - four of which are original, and three of which have been redesigned since their first appearance in Epyx's earlier Winter Games.

In typical Epyx style the games are complemented by opening, closing and awards ceremonies complete with Canadian mounties and a fireworks display.

1. Slalom - The first of the three one-on-one events, against either a friend or a computer pacer. The players face off on separate, but identical, slalom runs. Each run has a long row of flag-gates (the exact number being determined by the length of the race) to weave through, with extra speed gained by skiing close to the flags.
2. Ski Jump - One of the three events that has been redesigned since its first appearance in Winter Games. As before, the event has been split into two sections: Launch and Landing.
3. The Luge - Not one for the faint of heart. The player boards a tiny toboggan (not much bigger than a tea tray) and attempts to navigate a 1,000 metre downhill course. The track is represented by roughly 20 static flick-screens displayed in turn as the player whizzes past. It's impossible to crash, but if the turns are taken badly, valuable seconds are lost.
4. Downhill - Contestants here face a mile-long high speed trek down a perilous mountainside. The majority of the run sees the player weaving through flag gates, but when a video camera is passed, he can impress the crowd with a few flash flips.
5. Figure Skating - Unlike this event's first appearance back in Winter Games, you must first choreograph yourself a dance routine by selecting a sequence of moves from a bank of well-known spins, twists and jumps. For a good score, you'll have to perform ten moves correctly, at least eight of which must be from your routine.
6. Speed Skating - While racing, your skater is depicted twice on screen, firstly on a plan view of the circuit to indicate position, and also from a head-on view to show his movement and speed. Synchronised waggling (as opposed to the frenetic Daley Thompson-kind) builds up speed, but care has to be taken around bends to avoid wiping out.
7. Cross Country Skiing - Furious joystick waggling will be of no use here, a slow and steady rhythm is the order of the day. With your opponent breathing down your neck at all times, this is one of the toughest events to complete (let alone win!).

With Winter, World and California Games under its belt, Epyx has built up quite a quality reputation for sports simulations - something which sadly hasn't been carried on in the latest edition to the series.

There seems to have been little progress or innovation since World Games, and some of the events (the skiing in particular) fail to generate any interest at all due to the sloppy execution (the three events that have been re-written from Winter Games aren't nearly as much fun this time around).

I'm not sure whether this is due to Epyx running out of events to simulate or ideas for game design, but if it's the former (and I suspect it is), perhaps they should try something in a different vein.

California Games was a good start at getting away from the Olympic Stadium, but this is more of a step backwards.

Due out now at the same price as the ST, the Amiga version differs only slightly in terms of sound with the same lacklustre gameplay present.

An IBM-compatible compendium is available now at a price of £19.99. No major differences are expected, but just to be sure there's an update next month.