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DEVELOPED BY HARMONIX, THE developer behind the PlayStation 2 classics Frequency and Amplitude, EyeToy: AntiGrav is a hoverboard game where the player controls the hoverboard with just his body. While tricky to get used to initially, players will soon find a groove where jumping, ducking, boosting and performing tricks comes naturally.

Using the EyeToy USB camera, the player is able to race, soar and perform breathtaking airborne tricks through five futuristic worlds on a gravity defying hoverboard. Choosing from eight original characters, each with unique attributes, players can weave through traffic filled cities, dodging airborne cars and mile-high skyscrapers on ten elaborately designed tracks, all to the breakbeat tunes of the exclusive Apollo 440 soundtrack.

To help with this a useful tutorial aids learning and practising all of the moves needed for a race. Basic steering of the board is done with the player's body, including jumping and ducking. Similarly, boosting involves crouching. All this is mirrored in a rather surreal way by the character on screen. Speeding up, manouvering through the air and even sharp cornering can all be done with a fair amount of precision.

Moving the hoverboard around is only part of the equation though, with aerial tricks and picking up power-ups also playing an important part. Moving the arms around controls both of these, with a fair amount of coordination and practice required to achieve mastery. Waving the arms around in certain patterns can do aerial tricks. Pick-ups are found alongside rails and can increase the boost meter. While on a rail the position of the character's arms mirrors that of the player, with fairly swift movement needed to grab the pick-ups.

That this works at all is still a wonder, but after a bit of practice the interface's performance is impressive, with the EyeToy picking up the movements of the boarder and translating them well into the game. Unlike other EyeToy games, the player is virtually invisible. In Antigrav only a faint shimmer can be seen, so that the main focus is the virtual boarder and movements. After jumping around a bit it can sometimes be a little hard to get back on the right spot, so a handy display in the bottom of the screen gives players an indication of where their head is at.

The courses themselves, at least the couple we have seen so far, are large and varied, with multiple routes down each. Filled with rails and jumps, it will take players quite a while to find the best line down each track. The rival racers provide clues as to where is the best place to go, but not always.

Visually, AntiGrav is easily the most mature looking of all the EyeToy games so far. Looking like a cross between Amplitude and SSX, each level is filled with neon and smooth, polished surfaces. There is a good sense of speed and of contact with the course, and the game runs very smoothly throughout.

Antigrav is also the first EyeToy game that feels more like a complete game, rather than the collections of mini-games we have seen other titles. It also seems to be more intensive than anything else using the peripheral, with a race lasting several minutes at a time and using the player's whole body for the various moves.

Framing the adrenalin charged gameplay, EyeToy: AntiGrav features two game modes. Players can blast through the skies in "Speed" mode, racing against other boarders, or unleash killer combos in "Style" mode to score big points and unlock bonus items. But to find out who's the true AntiGrav pro, players can pit themselves against up to three opponents' ghost riders in a fast-paced multiplayer competition.

With its eye-catching graphics, strong soundtrack and more complete gaming experience, AntiGrav is definitely a direction we'd like the EyeToy to follow in the future. Whether Harmonix can sustain the fun we had with the preview version through a whole game remains to be seen, but we're definitely looking forward to seeing the final game. Look out for our full review shortly when EyeToy: AntiGrav releases in New Zealand.

Show me the screenshots!