Ski or Die

The Good
Well like the other reviewers have pointed out, the music is great. Especially the Adlib tunes. When this game came out I had to listen to the PC-Speaker but nowadays I realize what I've been missing.

Ski or Die has some of the best EGA graphics ever. The game is very colourful and the designers paid a lot of attention to little details. I thought the main menu (event selection screen) and Rodney's shop fitted in with the theme very well and there's usually a lot to see on the screen. The character animations are also very nice, for instance I enjoyed watching my character shake in his inner tube when he bumps on the moguls. The game is not too serious. For your enjoyment it throws some humor and attitude into the mix. It's the little things like crashing through the roof of the house during the downhill blitz that make you remember a game. This is something I like about the early sports games from Electronic Arts

Both the downhill blitz and the halfpipe events are very good. The Halfpipe may be inspired by the halfpipe event from California Games but this one is a lot better since you can do tricks at the bottom of the pipe and at the edges and there are three different levels of speed with their own range of tricks (of course you can do the best tricks at top-speed but you're prone to crashing). The Downhill Blitz is fun because you can make big jumps, choose between different routes and do some stunts along the way.

The Acro Aerials is a nice event but the problem with it is that variety is not rewarded. There's one jump, which does require some skill, that always receives the best marks. Why even try to perform another trick?

The Bad
Well, there are only five different events which is not very much. It's even more problematic that some of the events are not much fun. Inner Tube Trash (inspired by Toobin'?) had the potential to be a lot a fun, at least to me the idea behind it was appealing. Unfortunately it's much too slow. Everytime one player's tube is empty the other player has to wait. It completely bogs down the pace. This event should have been implemented with a split-screen. Another gripe: why do the different weapons all handle exactly the same?

The Snowball Blast looks great and it's good fun to see a spoof of Operation Wolf but the novelty wears off quickly and you need to press the ENTER key so often you'll get RSI in no time.

The Bottom Line
Ski or Die looks good and is a great game to listen to, but having two good events (OK 2.5 if you count Acro Aerials) just ain't enough.