When one thinks of a good skateboarding game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater immediately comes to mind. The first Tony Hawk was a big hit on the PlayStation, N64, and Dreamcast and now it's time for PC owners to enjoy this fantastic game. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has it all: 13 professional skaters (including Tony Hawk probably the best in the game) with customizable stats and boards; ten parks in Career mode (in addition to a handful of levels from the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, as well as a few more included with the park editor); almost every trick and combo you can imagine; and a soundtrack that features an eclectic mix of rock and rap acts, including Papa Roach, Rage Against the Machine, Naughty by Nature, Powerman 5000, and Anthrax with Public Enemy. With Career, Single Skate, and Free Play modes as well as a few multiplayer modes, the game feels very complete.

The best way to get familiar with the game, earn money for your gear and gain new skills, acquire new levels, is to play in Career mode. Here players can choose between the game's included skaters or create their own. This feature is fantastic, because players can really tailor the look of their characters, from the color of their long underwear or jersey to their hairstyle and skin tone all the way down to what kind of shoes they are wearing.

From there, it's off to the Hangar, where you must perform a series of tasks to earn enough money to unlock the next level, a Southern California high school. The bar is raised with each new locale, and before you know it you will have to master a series of tricks and strategies for completing your objectives, which range from doing a set number of rail slides to knocking bells off of walls or collecting the letters to spell out S-K-A-T-E. The earlier levels are fairly simple, but by the time you get to New York or Venice Beach, things heat up considerably. The variety of goals and locations keeps the game from getting boring, and if you do well enough, hidden characters will become unlocked and you will be able to skate as a handful of great riders, like Spider-Man (complete with four costumes) and Tony Hawk from the '80s (complete with New Wave hair).

Occasionally, as you advance, you will be asked to compete against other skaters for cash. These levels are especially nice because they give you a chance to make some quick money, which will help you advance in the game. The goal here is to perform well and score higher than the other skaters, which can be quite challenging.

After you've unlocked each level, you can go back and skate through them in Free Play, Single Skate, or the multiplayer modes (over a LAN). You also have the option of designing your own skate parks with the game's built-in editor. This is a really great idea, and there are over a hundred objects that you can place in your park, ranging from bowls to ramps to fun boxes to rails. Unfortunately, while you can use the mouse to move around bits and pieces, the skate park editor is much harder to use than most level editors found in today's PC games. From rotating pieces to adjusting the camera to trying to scroll through all the available objects, you will find that it is a task to complete a full park. Luckily, a few dozen premade parks are included in the editor, and they give the game even more replay value.

There is a lot to get into with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and the gameplay is quite addictive. Tricks come off smoothly and with relative ease, and you will find yourself performing a variety of ollies, grabs, and grinds in no time. Once you've built up some cash, you can even purchase new tricks and combination moves. The 3D graphics look nice and the animations run smoothly, thankfully, you are not confined to the PlayStation's low resolutions; the PC version lets you crank things up to as high as 1,024-by-768-pixel resolution, which looks good. One thing that you will want to borrow from the PSX version, however, is your approach to playing: use a gamepad, because the keyboard will hinder your ability to play the game well and you may probably end up with cramps. Similarly, the game's multiplayer mode is great; while it's cool to play tag against a friend over a network, wouldn't it be a lot betterto skate against 7 or 15 other skaters in an online skate park?

When all is said and done, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is the best skateboarding experience for the PC and given the improved graphics, it is arguably the best version of the game out there. The range of features, slick presentation, and smooth gameplay make this game one of the more compelling diversions around, and you really get value for your money. If you love arcade style gaming or extreme sports, there is no doubt about it: you have to own this game.

Recommended: Yes