Remember the blizzard of winter sports games early this year [Blizzard! Two of them? - Ed] What's wrong with a bit of poetic license? Well, this was the good one and its expansion to 128K has done no harm either.

I actually have a sneaking regard for Winter Games, because on the whole it avoids the slippery slope (geddit?) of pure joystick jiggling and goes instead for timing. And as we all know, it's not just how fast you quiver your Quickshot that counts.

Even the speed skating is less a question of wild waggling, calling for a more rhythmic pace. White noise swooshes as you shoot the curves in your bobsled (Well mine's called Bob - what do you call yours?) And when it comes to creating your own free skating displays - move over Torville and Dean, Rachael's comin' thru.

As well as packing all of this activity into one load, US Gold has improved the music. There's a Jaws style pulse before you set off down the ski slope and a bit of Bach as you glide around the ice, perform a triple axel, a double lutz and a singular klutz that leaves you flat on your back.

Maybe sports simulations are last year's thing and it won't be cool to be seen with Winter Games, but if you've just availed yourself of one of Uncle Alan's Plus Twos, get piste. (And if he ever brings out the Plus Four, buy yourself a golf simulation too!).