Ski Free, as its name would suggest, is a no-nonsense skiing game that was originally created for the public by Chris Pirih. Its popularity inspired Microsoft to purchase the rights to the game, and it was later released as part of several compilation entertainment packs, as opposed to as a single, stand alone game. It began to be sold commercially in the very early nineties. It is considered a “coffee break” style of game…a fast game that a user will work at for fifteen minutes before putting it away to try again later.
It is very similar in nature to Minesweeper, Solitaire, or the classic Tic Tac Toe.
Ski Free is a single player game. The goal is simply to ski downhill as quickly as at all possible in order to beat your own best times. The next time you play the game, the goal will be the same. There will be colorful red and blue flags to follow, and the user is searching for the finish line. Points are earned by slaloming to the left and right of the appropriate markers. The difficult part comes not so much from using the simplistic controls to navigate the skier to the bottom of the hill, but from avoiding the obstacles that get in the
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way. It is never a top speed, straight shot to the bottom, and the obstacles are kind of fun. There will be all of the normal obstacles that a user would expect from a skiing or snowboarding game: rocks, trees, snow banks, other winter sports enthusiasts and so forth. But there is also a very rudimentary snowman who can pop out, capture and eat you. He is actually sort of funny to watch.
Ski Free also offers another mode of play that is used much less than the standard downhill timed option. The user can elect to participate in a free style competition. The obstacles are still likely to be a partial problem, but now the user gains points by performing very simple stunts in the form of jumps over small berms on the course.
If you are looking to show Olympic class speed and some serious free style stunts or jumps, Ski Free really isn’t the game for you. It’s beauty comes in its simplicity, and it is a great little time waster or “coffee break” game. The Abominable Snowman adds a nice touch of unexpected humor to the game, and it does have an addictive quality that was a bit of a surprise. Recommended.
