Sticking to the tried and true formula, pioneered with the aforementioned Tony Hawk games, Activision have cranked out another extreme sporting franchise - this one all about catching a wave, dude. The idea is simple and familiar - take a surfer (choose one of several "names" from the sport) and start your career as a pro, earning new tricks and unlocking new levels as you go. Oddly, there is no "create a surfer" mode. You can't create your own character and are stuck with the 8 players built into the game.

The general gameplay is based on tricks performed on or about the face of the (almost never ending) supply of waves. There are flip tricks, grab tricks, lip tricks - all the standard fare of the extreme sports gamer. In addition, you can do funky things inside the "barrel" (or tube) of the wave, with balance and stance playing a huge role in your success here. Hang it out just that little bit longer (for the big score) or end the trick now and bank the points you have been accumulating?

Also along the lines of Tony Hawk et al is the special meter - chain together a number of tricks or pull off "perfect" stunts (launch & land like you planned the trick...) to build your "special" until the gauge is full, at which point you can perform truly spectacular signature moves to earn the real big scores.

Once you crack the basic training wave (where Kelly teaches you how to stay on the wave, jump and generally act the fool on the face of millions of litres of raging water), you can move on to one of the first beaches that are open to you. Beating challenges and scoring big time are the keys to unlocking more beaches, with the challenges ranging from the typical "score more than x" through to the downright fool hardy "jump the pier". Considering the simplicity of the sport this game is based on, the developers have come up with a good variety of mini-goals for the player to achieve.

There are plenty of tricks to learn, with certain combinations of buttons and controller movements doing different things, depending on where you are on (or off) the wave and how much special meter you have charged up. The moves typically have a good combination of skill and timing required to pull them off, with the score you get depending more on how well you execute them than the actual trick itself. Many of the moves are truly spectacular and will no doubt get the keen surfer's blood pumping through their veins - this game could well be the incentive they need to get back out into the real surf and cut some real waves!

As per Tony Hawk, the real scores come from not just doing tricks but chaining them together. It's very much like gambling - it takes dedication to get to the point where you have special meter to burn and the real pay-outs come from chaining as many tricks together as possible. But, like gambling, the more tricks you pull off, the more you have to lose - unless you stop pulling tricks and bank the points accumulated, it's all at risk: if you tumble off your board after making a simple mistake, you lose everything you just chained together! The real trick is knowing when to stop and bank the accumulated score...

Graphically, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer is right up there with the best available on the Xbox. The waves look great, the characters are detailed and there is heaps going on - much of the benefit of unlocking the next beach comes from checking out the awesome level graphics, many of which are truly spectacular. If you have ever seen a big wave up close with the sun streaming through it, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Beautiful.

The sound department is no slouch either - along with the nice (and realistic) sounds of waves crashing on the beach and some nice, funky and rocking licensed tunes. Genuine surfer fair here, not as thumping or crazy as what the skaters seem to be into, but laid back and cooooool. A perfect accompaniment to the on-screen action.