The idea of a racing/platform game is a very interesting one. Being both a fan of platform and racing games, I thought, what could be better? But then I played Psybadek. They took a game which could have been great, and slaughtered it. From the manual right to the last level, everything could have been done so much better. It's this type of game that makes you wonder what the programmers were thinking.

The story is the standard platform story - rescue your friends and defeat the bad guy. You, as Mia or Xako, must ride through the Psyba-Zone to rescue other dekkers from Krakken and stop him from, 'living where we live' as the game puts it. The character you choose makes little difference in the game, other than who's back you'll have to look at.

The racing element of the game comes from the hoverboards, or deks, on which your character rides. Controlling these is one of the, if not the, worst parts of the game. Everything is frustrating, and practicing doesn't seem to help much. Unlike a snow or skateboard, you get to control the gas and brake, making it more like a vehicle than a board.

As you progress through the game, each friend you save will give you a new stunt which you can perform. These stunts aren't the hardest to pull off once you learn how, but they are just the standard special moves that any platform game has. You will need to learn how to do these if you want to get past certain levels.

Each of the four worlds, Ice, Jungle, Desert, and the Underworld, have 9 levels. Just about every level is completely different from the one before it. The varying nature of the levels was a great idea, but it didn't come together the way it should have. Your tasks include from collecting items, racing against enemies, and even shooting penguins.

Unfortunately, your goal is never really clear. When you enter a level you are given a message which rarely makes sense and, in some levels, your objective is just confusing. There are also boss characters which you must race to defeat or you may find yourself shooting the boss in an arena-style setting. Shooting is done using your tow weapon. These are little round balls which you pick up off the course, and tow behind you - nothing too complicated.

Psybadek's other problem is it's extreme dull-ness. There's nothing that makes you want to keep playing. You'll often find yourself playing a level over and over, then when you finally get past it, it starts again with the next level. Frustration is the key word here.

The courses themselves aren't designed that well. Most levels don't offer any great designs or interesting puzzles. In most of the linear levels, you'll find yourself in a half-pipe, cruising along just avoiding the enemies. Every so often, you'll miss something and have to go up the slant and get it which is just annoying.

The graphics are one of Psybadek's strong points. The colors are bright and vibrant, and the style is very reminiscent of the Crash Bandicoot series. There are also some cool transparency effects and a constant, smooth frame rate. While nice, they are a little too cute. If only they had paid the same attention to the gameplay as they did with the graphics.

Psybadek's sounds are nothing spectacular, but they do fit the game well. Some of the sound effects are a little off-kilter, but otherwise there are no major complaints.

When a game with so much potential is rushed out to make a release date, it's really a shame. There's no real reason to buy Psybadek. It's a rental at best. If you're looking for a platform game with racing element, try Crash Bandicoot: Warped, it offers a much better playing experience.