Hell Rider

The game starts with this very adrenaline inducing introduction – “Are you a death defying adventurer with a skill for spectacular airborne stunts? Can you drive through a ring of fire? Can you Jump over double decker buses? Can you withstand the pain? If yes, then you are ready to enjoy Hell Rider, the most extreme experience on your mobile phone.” Well on first inspection this game offers a great range of jumps and fun. I however would have said this game is a fairly authentic representation of the thrills and spills you would receive from being a stunt biker which Evil Knievel would be proud of.

This proposition of unparalleled thrills on offer is both exciting and of possible trepidation. I say this because if this is true, this game will either get any player so addicted they’ll never go to see a real stunt show, or it’ll encourage everyone who plays it to jump into the saddle of a real motorcycle and start shooting themselves over walls and cars wherever possible!

So in true daredevil style, I’ll brave the possible risks to my health and give you my findings as follows…

Jumping through hoops, rings of fire and over double-decker busses are all part of the daredevil repertoire. As such, Hell Rider gives you a chance to show off your flair and skill at attacking the ramp, hurtling through the air (whilst avoiding said obstacles) and landing without a scratch at the end of it all. True most daredevils never get the landing exactly and possibly this is where the game’s not quite like the real thing – as you have to re-take your jump should you over-shoot your mark and crash!

Satisfyingly you must judge the power you hit the ramp at and cross your fingers, toes, legs and possibly eyes that you haven’t over cooked it and end up as a crumpled heap of mangled parts, both human and motorbike! With each level that you progress through, the dangerous obstacles change position from the ramp so you must gauge the jump to the nearest millimetre or you’ll end up toast!

Fortunately you have three attempts at completing the jump or else your game is finished and will have to accept the score received. You receive 10 points per successful jump and a bonus of 50 points for every jump you complete successfully first time!

So does it make me want to smash through my bedroom window in a ball of fire and no safety vehicle in sight? Not quite, but it does get you quite addicted and keen to keep doing better. You receive a congratulatory message for successfully completing the 13 jumps. You have four hoops, four rings of fire and five buses to jump through and over respectively. It’s simple fun and when you crash it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as the real thing!

Rating 75%

Positives

Challenging and fun

You can post your scores globally online and compare with others

Simple controls

Quite addictive

Negatives

Very very repetitive

Music’s pretty poor

Graphics are basic

Being able to judge jumps correctly is nearly impossible as most are off the edge of the screen