Dave Mirra freestyle BMX

Neither of my children had heard of Dave Mirra, but they are certainly impressed by the tricks he can do with his bike. My 10 year old, looking for instant gratification, tried Dave Mirra freestyle BMX and said the controls were too hard (he had not read the instructions). My 12 year old has finished most of the levels and is thoroughly enjoying the game ... which has of course revived his brother's interest in it.

One to four players can participate - multiple players take turns. Getting through levels requires mastering bike tricks on the ground and in the air - there are over 20 tricks in the game. There is a definite learning curve, for example 'grind' requires tight timing and practice. It's a good idea to go into the Training area first. Keep the manual open to the 'Trick List and Controls' pages, and master the basic moves, spins, Bunnyhops, Pipes and Grinds. Experimenting with the buttons is useful, but can lead to the message 'You crashed' (very often when I played :-)).

Once comfortable with the bike basics it's time to start a new career, beginning with a clunky bike in Greenville, NC, and two levels. There are four play areas altogether (Greenville, Advanced, Professional and the ultimate Acclaim Games) with two levels in each. They include vert, dirt and street tracks. Each level has three goals to achieve, for example to collect all the spray cans or achieve a certain score. Unlocking a more advanced area wins a new and improved bike which can do better tricks. Collecting certain items also unlock new tricks. In addition, there are medals to be won and tournaments to compete in with friends. The graphics and trick animations are very well done.

The learning curve on this game makes it unsuitable for younger kids but great fun for those 10 and up, who are fast on their fingers. My children enjoyed the challenge of getting through the levels and the variety of tricks, especially the 'one where you go off the side of the bike holding the bars'. They also liked the instant replay which shows the entire run just completed. Dave Mirra freestyle BMX is not a game to beat quickly and I expect my two to get many more hours of enthusiastic play time out of it ... but hope they won't try these tricks on their own clunkers!