Fans of the Birdman can take comfort in the fact that the eighth incarnation of the most popular skateboarding license ditches the MTV/Jackass image that plagued the Underground and American Wasteland titles and returns to the roots of the series. You are here to skate, and the game's focus never wavers from this; with hundreds of missions, each unique and great fun. The better your score in each mission, the higher up the world rankings you climb (with the top 8 being your end goal). As you progress you will receive new sponsorship deals resulting in a wealth of new equipment available via the skate shop. This is a game for the purists of the Tony Hawk series; boasting superior graphics, sun-soaked atmospheres and the usual roster of heavyweight tunes on the soundtrack from the likes of Slayer, Mogwai and Kasabian. Project 8 is the closest to skating perfection the series has achieved since the stellar Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and as fans of the series will tell you, it doesn't get much better than that. Welcome to skate heaven. [Dave Cook]