Skiing isn’t exactly the UK’s favourite sport or pastime, with the prime reason being the distinct lack of snow for an overwhelming majority of the year; even then it’s not exactly the upper slopes of the Alps.

For most of us in the UK, if you think skiing then you think of Ski Sunday on the good ol’ BBC on a Sunday evening – ask any Brit to whistle or hum the theme tune and they are bound to burst into a healthy rendition of “Pop Goes Bach.”

So after this digression, onto the game. Ski Racing 2005 (endorsed by World Class skier, Hermann Maier) allows you to take to the slopes that have been lovingly created from the real-world locations.

The primary mode in fact is the only mode available to you when you first play the game, which is the World Cup, a series of slaloms, giant slaloms, and Super G events. After setting up your player profile and skiing name (allowing you to choose from a selection of skis, poles, helmets, and body suits), you set off to climb the mountains.

I’m afraid that there’s not a lot to say about the game; yes it has the license to use ace skier Hermann Maier, but it isn’t a great marque of quality. For a sport that especially on the world stage, is fast and frantic, Ski Racer 2005 fails to get out of first gear – that is until you reach near-maximum speeds of 130 km/h plus, and which point the am of zigzagging through the blue and red gates becomes near impossible. The control system is intuitive, it does have to be said but that really is a shining light out of the murky depths of mediocrity the game floats in.

The mountain ranges look nice it does have to be said and you do get the feeling that you’re travelling down a series of steep inclines, but the average visuals and a clever representation of moving downhill doesn’t make much of a game. Also, the Xbox version does include the magical “Xbox Live Enabled” strip across the box, but don’t get too excited because your online experience is limited to posting on the scoreboards.

This ski racing sim will only appeal to the minority of skiers in Europe and the US, and unless a significant injection of gameplay is given, then Mr Maier may have to search for a new title to endorse.