Hold on to your potatoes!
There are actually a few games in the Deluxe Ski Jump series, which made it all the way up to Deluxe Ski Jump 4 surprisingly enough. The popularity of the games is a little difficult to fathom, as although they're mildly diverting, there's certainly not much to keep you going for a long time, much like similarly themed titles like Ski or Die. There are no prizes for guessing what you get with this game, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. You're placed in the awkward shoes of a potential ski jumper and simply charged with making the longest possible jump off a number of different hills. There are thirty two to try out, ranging from minor bumps in England to the mighty mountains of Slovenia, while the jumping itself is a fairly complex process which takes a lot of practice to master. You have to account for things like timing, wind direction and strength, and the peculiarities of the hill you're trying to jump, all of which combine to make this more difficult than it might at first appear. Deluxe Ski Jump certainly isn't a bad game, and for an entertaining way to while away a quiet afternoon, it actually does the job fairly well. There's a wide range of hills to try and they each offer up their own unique challenges, while getting the hang of the controls is no easy task and also adds to the difficulty. The visuals are simple enough, but are quite effective and convey a suitably chilly feeling, as do the sound effects. There's obviously not much in the way of variety for the gameplay but for a fun time waster this does the job.
