The gameplay, for all the flashy graphics and challenges, is very same-y. Once you know the locations, it's a matter of perseverance to get all the tapes to move to the next level. So why collect tapes? Becase as you get tapes, you unlock the extra levels, with exciting locations like 'School' or 'Downtown.' Each of these arenas have the new challenges, and you have to learn where everything is and where you can do monster tricks (like doing a triple-salko over a pick up truck). The Ridiculous high score is going to be the one you need to practice the amazing skills for. Generally the first high score is pretty easy to do, but you will need to learn new skills as the score needed creeps up over the levels. You'll need that knowledge when you go for the high score challenges. Collecting the SKATE and performing the Physical Challenge lets you go around the whole location, checking out where the ramps, obstacles and barriers are. These are a nice mix and force you to do different things around the location.

Do a physical challenge 5 times (knock over boxes in the Warehouse, slide over picnic tables, get an MS-Smartphone to blue screen.).

You have five challenges to complete (each one represented by a Video tape for some reason), and they generally follow the same pattern. It's called 'career mode.' When you start your career (and you get to choose one of ten skaters with varying attributes for speed, balance, etc) you start in a location called the warehouse Now that would be a pretty short lived game - because it would be boring, so they've done quite a bit to spice up this concept of skate around an do tricks. So in simple game play, it's all about how many points you can amass. assuming you didn't fall falt on your face and break your nose.

It's a bit like Figure Skating - once you're in the air, you can hit some buttons and wiggle the D-Pad to pull off tricks - then the mystery unseen judges give you points (from 50 to 5000) depending on the skill and difficulty of the trick. And not just skateboarding that gets you down the shops fast - skateboarding where you jump onto kerbs, off ramps, around strange quarter circles, swimming pools and poles scattered around the landscapes. So for everyone who's never heard of the Tony Hawk series (Hi Dad!), what is it all about? Skateboarding.

Tony Hawk has probably the best 3-D look of all the N-Gage games to date (Feb 2004) and was clearly the 'best game' available when the N-Gage was launched in Oct 2003. Compared to any of the other 3-d and 3-d Style games on the N-Gage (Tomb Raider, Red Faction, etc). Let's get the good news out of the way first. No not Tony Hawks the UK comedian who once hitch hiked round Ireland with a Fridge (thanks to a bet with Arthur Smith I believe), but Tony Hawk, the American who gets paid to fly through the air with a little plank of wood and four tiny wheels.

Tony hawk's ireland fridge