You'd best strap that helmet on good and tight, because Trials HD is set to work up your frustration levels and have you banging your scone against the coffee table. I mean, it's called ‘trials' for a reason. Trials HD is essentially a platform game on wheels, and could easily be considered the modern day Excitebike. At first glance, Trials appears to be a vapid affair. However, as you quickly begin knocking off the harder tracks, you'll likely feel something. A feeling that has been largely absent from gaming for some time; a real sense of accomplishment because frankly, Trials is straight up as hard as nails and if you're a gamer in desperate need of a challenge, look no further...

Trials is one of those games; easy to pick-up and play and yet so hard to master. One thing I can guarantee is that your slow ride to glory in Trials will be met with repeated failure – this is kind of the whole premise to the game; to try, and try again. Using both triggers to control your acceleration and braking is one third of the equation as you also use the left stick to control the lean of your rider. Sure it sounds simple enough, but developer RedLynx has done a great job in crafting some deceptively aggravating tracks that will push your skills to their limits and have you persisting to finish. While you'll achieve ultimate control within time, at first it's awful tricky to judge how to approach certain inclines, and well-placed obstacles.

If there's one thing Trials HD does exceedingly well, it would be not deterring a player's will. They achieve this by implementing a flawless checkpoint system that never places you in a position where you think success is impossible. More often than not, checkpoints are placed after each treacherous obstacle which constantly breathes new life into your desperate efforts to finish the track. I'll admit I'm a rage-gamer. If something sets me off in a game I'll likely toss it aside to quell my anger, however I could never manage to put Trials on the back burner. This, to me, is a testament to how rewarding, and irresistible, RedLynx have made the sweet taste of success you get from accomplishing even minor goals in Trials.

If there's one half-fault I can pick out of Trials, it would be the sudden change of pace in the later tracks which become drastically difficult. I literally went from requiring a couple of dozen faults on a reasonably hard track to exhausting my entire allowance on one shockingly difficult obstacle (which is the ludicrous box on Goin' Up for those keeping score). I mean, challenges are great and all, but Trials kicks it into overdrive in the latter stages which really can disrupt the natural flow the gamer has established by that point. Like I said, it's only really half a fault, but it's about all I can find wrong with this game!

Aside from building an impressive collection of gold (or platinum, if you're that good) medals across the game's selection of tracks, you may care to try out the skill games you'll gradually unlock as you progress in Trials. These are rather varied and range from ejecting your rider from his bike, hurling him down a flight of harsh, unforgiving stairs to see how many bones you can break and seeing how long you can maintain your balance atop a fairly sizeable sphere as it builds momentum down a slight dip. They're certainly a fun distraction, and will no doubt have you in shambles going for the elusive gold medals.

For those who crave something a little more, you know, mannish can attempt the increasingly-difficult endurance events (or tournaments). Your main goal is to finish a tournament, where you'll meet a succession of the most perilous tracks in Trials, with as little faults as humanly possible. It's widely considered that Trials HD currently boasts the prize of the most difficult to attain achievement yet, as ‘Marathon' requires you to grit your teeth and complete the Ultimate Endurance tournament (consisting of twenty-four hairy tracks) without even a single fault. So perfectionists beware, expect a blemish on your gamer card if you go toe-to-toe with Trials.

With the HD tag, you'd expect Trials to be painted up with some pretty swanky graphics; and luckily, it delivers. While it's not hard for a three-dimensional game running on a two-dimensional plane to look great in motion, it's no secret Trials looks great. Already sharp cyclist models and some obscure, yet inspired, tracks are complimented beautifully by Hollywood-style explosions and the occasional action set-piece, an example being the odd stack of barrels tumbling in an attempt to catch your eye. It's all sublimely timed, and makes each challenging course as exciting as the last.

Sadly, it's kind of clear there wasn't a hell of a lot RedLynx could do with the audio component of this arcade classic. Generic hard rock tunes aren't exactly memorable, but it's about all you can really hope for from an XBLA title. It's not exactly an EA title with a big-licensed soundtrack at its disposal, so while it isn't something you'll find yourself whistling down the street, it does the trick. The sound effects are just great for this game; bikes don't seem to sound alike, as the meatier ones will obviously sound as though they're packing a bit more grunt, and the brutal bails in Trials will have you wincing before casually resetting, and doing it all over again.