Freestyle Moto-X II

Back in the days when our ancestors lived in trees (last week in one uncle's case), a boy couldn't become a man without undergoing a rite of passage, a trial that would prove that the adolescent child was ready for adulthood. In those days, such a rite would involve killing a bear with little more than a sharpened stick, or going on a lengthy trek lasting weeks to discover one's true self. In the 21st century, this has been replaced by owning a scooter and pulling an occasional eight-hour shift in a fast food restaurant, both of which offer challenges of their own, but somehow don't seem quite as arduous as those of our forebears.

Which is a problem, according to some sociologists, because a harder task prepares a youngster more adequately for growing up. So, ever the conscience of society, Pocket Gamer would like to recommend a new rite of passage, one that's as hard as fighting a crocodile bare-handed but safe and clean enough to keep from getting your white trainers dirty. The challenge? Complete Freestyle Moto-X II from i-Play.

This is quite simply one of the hardest games we've yet come across in our pocket gaming travels, we thought the original was already pretty taxing but that's a veritable cakewalk compared to this. Departing the comparative safety of the ready-made arenas or deserted wastelands of Nate Adams Freestyle Motocross, Moto-X II transplants the aerial action to the grimy city streets of New York, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver. As if that wasn't hardcore enough, they've even stripped you of your crash helmet and protective pads this time around in favour of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

With nothing more than your trusty bike and a garage in which to tune it, you're set a handful of challenges that'll see you pulling wheelies, aerial stunts and other assorted motorcycle-based mayhem in an attempt to earn points and parts. As you progress you can use the latter to tune up your trusty steed, making it easier to manhandle (or womanhandle – you have the choice of playing as a female character, too) and thus enabling even more death-defying acrobatics.

The inherent difficulty lies in pulling off these stunts that are essential to progressing through the game. Although the controls are in themselves pretty basic, with an auto-accelerate option providing gas, a button to brake and the option to execute various tricks by holding down numbers on the keypad, the timing of their use is considerably less so.

This is a game that's all about balance and you have to get it just right (by transferring the riders' weight back or forth on the bike) if your cunning stunts are to avoid being stunning failures. While the act of pulling off wheelies and nose flips can be mastered relatively quickly, the subsequent landing on two wheels rather than one (unprotected) head takes considerable time and effort.

Admittedly upgrades to your bike make things slightly easier as the game progresses, but this is countered by the complexity of the stunts that you're required to complete ensuring that the learning curve remains as steep as the fearsome in-game ramps. By our reckoning it'll take a good hour before you even begin to comprehend what level of control you need and then another two or three before you can come close to executing it.

Suffice to say this learning experience can be rather frustrating, to the extent that you'll almost begin to enjoy tormenting your on-screen rider with nasty crashes just to ease the anguish. But when you nail your first nose-flip with perfect landing, the thrill and sense of achievement makes the hardship worthwhile.

Whether you generally have the patience to reach that point is the key question you should ask before downloading, because Freestyle Moto-X II will test the saintliest countenance. Those that persevere and manage to master Moto however can look forward to many hours of deeply satisfying enjoyment - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Manouvering anyone?