THPS 2 is a port of the PlayStation version - right down to the great control. You select one of several pro skaters who have joined our illustrious Mr. Hawk on his latest sojourn, and skate through the 8 track locations. There are different goals to achieve on each level, and these goals allow you to get new boards, clothes, and points for your create player feature. Grinding and performing ollies on specific parts of the levels will generate points, and collecting letter to form the word "SKATE" will also help you advance. The graphics in THPS 2 aren't as sharp as the PlayStation version, with the typical N64 blurry textures. This doesn't detract from the gameplay, thankfully, and is only a minor annoyance. If you have an N64 Expansion Pak, this alleviates the washed-out textures and draw-in somewhat, so take advantage if you can. In the two player mode, you can play various competitions such as trick attack, graffiti, HORSE and tag. The create-a-park feature is also present, and allows you to put together some impressive levels for skating enjoyment.

On the audio tip, there aren't as many songs in the N64 version as the PS, but this is obviously due to the lack of storage space on cartridge compared to CD. Some songs come off better than others, with instrumental tracks replacing some of the full musical tracks that other consoles enjoy. The fact that Activision was able to squeeze as many as they could is an admirable feat. Sound effects are a mixed bag, with low audio sampling rates downgrading the atmosphere that THPS 2 is trying to present.

I've always enjoyed the THPS series, but compared to other platforms the aesthetics of the N64 version come up short. If you own a PlayStation, Dreamcast, GameCube, PS2 or Xbox, I can't in good conscience recommend this as a purchase, but THPS 2 is definitely recommended for those of you who only own an N64.Standing on its own, the gameplay is true to the Tony Hawk experience, and ultimately that is all that matters. Nice work.