Shaun White Snowboarding (Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Windows, Mac)

Always wanted to try hitting the slopes but were afraid of taking a spill? While it's no comparison to the real deal, try Ubisoft Montreal's new SHAUN WHITE SNOWBOARDING for a much safer and cheaper ride – and one you can play 24/7. Designed in close collaboration with the famous Olympic gold medalist and eight-time X-Games gold modality, Shaun White Snowboarding gives player total freedom to explore four huge mountains and create the kind of experience they want out of a snowboarding game.

Specifically, you can try to achieve top trick score by pulling off all kinds of midair moves and rail tricks (and aim for a style bonus), race to the bottom of the mountain, partake in competitions and challenges (divided into four difficulty levels) or take advantage of the open-ended free-riding and explore the hill solo or with a friend over the Internet. The controls on the Xbox 360 version we tested were fairly easy to pick up, thanks to a number of optional quick tutorials. The Wii version (see below) didn't prove as intuitive, however. Depending on the version of the game, this game can play three different head-to-head multiplayer modes against someone else, somewhere else. Players can also record their progress using the intuitive built-in video editor and share their slick tricks online for others to see -- and beat.

Available for seven different platforms – the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2/3/,PSP, Nintendo Wii/DS and PC – Shaun White Snowboarding is powered by the gorgeous Assassin's Creed engine, also developed at Ubisoft's award-winning Montreal studio. The player models are highly detailed and the four mountains (Park City, Europe, Japan and Alaska) all look so real you might be tempted to reach down and grab some powder. While the game proved fun between its many modes and varying trick combinations, it's not quite as polished or exhilerating as the over-the-top SSX series from Electronic Arts.

The Nintendo Wii version of the game was developed to take advantage of the Wii Balance Board, the peripheral that resembles a white bathroom scale (which shipped with the Wii Fit game); by standing on the Wii Balance Board players can control their rider by moving their body around. This didn't prove to be an easy task, so expect a steeper learning curve than with other versions of the game.