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Not every game in this world is about blasting aliens or planning sieges against enemy warlords, but Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (KSPS) from Aspyr Media is still a tasty slice of action gaming that looks great and keeps your pulse pounding. Ever wanted to travel the world with your board and make your living by pounding waves?
KSPS is the only way most mere mortals like us will ever do it. KSPS puts you into the role of world-famous surfers including athletes such as Lisa Anderson, Tom Carroll, Tom Curren and, of course, Kelly Slater. Choose a virtual persona or design your own and take to the beaches to do what you do best: carve and cut waves, dude!
In gorgeous environments from Antarctica to Japan to sunny California, you'll select a board that suits your style and advance your pro surfing career by achieving goals (score a certain number of points, do a certain combination of tricks, etc.). As you learn the ropes of ridin' the surf, you'll figure out how to manage yourself on tougher waves and string together challenging and impressive tricks. Once you get the hang of it, you can even invite a friend to join you in a multiplayer gaming match where you can choose from various game types (including "Push," where the screen is split in half and, as one player pulls off better, cooler stunts, he will collapse his opponents window a little at a time until he or she is gone).
The game's one ace-in-the-hole is its look. By extensively using OpenGL technology for the lush 3D environment, KSPS offers some truly awesome visual scenes where waves roll realistically, trees slowly wave in the breeze and the sky sprawls above in all its splendor. KSPS is as much a virtual tour of some of the most beautiful beaches around as it is a die-hard action game.
If you notice a similarity to another popular Aspyr game, namely the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, your eye is not betraying you; KSPS is intended to be something of a branch from that very successful franchise. In many ways, Kelly Slater borrows from Tony Hawk's book: Do tricks to get points, unlock new gear and surfers (one of whom, amusingly, is Tony Hawk), discover Easter eggs and do some freestyling if you're in the mood. While this formula certainly made a hit out of the Tony Hawk games, it backfires a little here with the feeling of "been there, done that." The controls are similar, the gameplay is similar and so, in many ways, KSPS begs the question of why it's worth purchasing an entirely new game just to get the same kind of thing.
KSPS is not without a list of problems as well, the most glaring of which is the troublesome interface; getting into a game quickly and easily is tough, and at times the game should tell the player more about what's going on (such as "loading level") while they're waiting. Also, running KSPS under Panther produces a serious graphical glitch where everything renders in white, though a patch that fixes the problem is available on www.aspyr.com.
To be a fan of KSPS, you've got to have a penchant for hitting the waves in a virtual world, as there isn't that much else distinct about it. If you're looking for a solid, predictable game with some challenging gameplay and cool graphics, you could most certainly do worse. If you're hoping to pick your jaw up off the floor, however, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer is not the game you're looking for.
-COREY TAMAS
KELLY SLATER'S PRO SURFER: 
Aspyr Media | www.aspyr.com | 512-708-8100 | $30
Pros: Solid fun, good looking waves.
Cons: Nothing particularly innovative.
Requires: OS 10.2.3, 700MHz G4 processor, 256MB RAM, 32MB video RAM
macHOME recommends: 64MB or more video RAM
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