Although skateboarding has been popular since it exploded in the mid-80s, videogames based on the sport have been few and far between, and have generally failed to do it justice. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater changes all this -- it is a truly great game that could only be frowned upon by that crusty old man across the street that always mutters "damn skateboarders are communists" under his breath. Through sheer excellence of execution, Neversoft has managed to produce a skateboarding experience that simply feels right. Even non-skaters are likely to get a kick out of the game because it's so well designed, much like people who didn't like water-based racing games could appreciate Wave Race 64.

Pro Skater's graphics are solid 3D fare. Everything runs at a smooth frame rate and looks good, from the environments to the skaters themselves. The ability to select your skater's skateboard is a nice touch, although you'll rarely have the time to look at the bottom of your board. While the graphics approach the best the PlayStation has to offer, the camera can occasionally detract from the overall visual experience, occasionally hampering gameplay. The camera will often swing too slowly if you make a sharp turn, preventing you from seeing what's in front of you before it's too late to alter your course. On some levels, this can lead to a significant amount of frustration.  

Sound effects are simply excellent. Everything sounds right. Everything you do produces an appropriate sound, from just rolling along different surfaces, grinding or pulling off ollies. As for music, while it won't be to everyone's liking, it's perfect for a skateboarding game. The soundtrack features bands such as Suicidal Tendencies, the Dead Kennedys, Primus and Goldfinger. Notably absent is the old Suicidal track "Possessed to Skate," but perhaps that would have been too obvious. Like the sound effects, the music selections are extremely appropriate. 

Controlling the skaters is easy, particularly given their rather large repertoires of moves. Pressing a direction on the D-pad in combination with a button pulls off tricks. Fairly simple stuff that makes the sheer variety of tricks you can pull off even more impressive.  Points are earned by successfully landing these tricks, but they really start to add when you create combos by spinning in the air or by combining air tricks with grinds and generally avoiding contact with the ground wherever possible. While pulling of stunts is simple, a minor control gripe is that it can occasionally be difficult to leave the ramp that you're currently skating on. Pressing up should add a slight trajectory to your air - either helping you transition to another ramp or onto a ledge, but it doesn't always work.  

The bread and butter of the game is found in career mode, which allows you to take control of a skater and skate at the game's various locales.  Three of the levels are competitions, where you have to rack up as high a score as possible in three one-minute heats to land a medal. The other levels reward you with tapes when you achieve a certain objective, whether that's reaching a score goal, finding a hidden tape, spelling the word "Skate," or completing a task specific to the level you're playing. Think of tapes as an equivalent to Mario's stars, in that collecting a certain number of tapes will unlock new levels, new skateboards and improve your skater's abilities. 

Overall, the levels are all very well designed, and they give you plenty of opportunities to rack up serious points with combos and just generally enjoy yourself. The tape goals are challenging, but not impossible, and enough that you'll keep telling yourself, "Just one more run!"  Of all the stages, the Downhill Jam stage is the most frustrating, with a couple of seriously difficult tasks which are compounded by the aforementioned camera issue but, overall, the challenges are very good, and even this level will come with time.

While collecting tapes once will likely engage most gamers for one time through the game, many will not feel compelled to repeat the challenge a second time, but Pro Skater will still deliver. The game's free skate mode allows you to take on the stage of your choice and skate to your heart's content. A testament to the game's excellent control and gameplay is that it's still fun, even if you're not accumulating points to get yet another tape. Much like real skateboarding, pulling off an impressive trick just right is enough reward in itself to keep you playing. Three two-player modes should keep you and your friends busy trash-talking one another for a long time.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is more than just an excellent skateboarding game; it's an excellent PlayStation game -- one that ranks among the system's best titles. It's easy to simply pick up and play, but there's also a lot of meat here, which ensures it's something you'll keep coming back to for a long time to come. You can't get any closer to a "must buy" title than Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.