Canal racing on dry land

This jet-watercraft video game from British game maker Argonaut is your big chance to race through canals at 60 mph while competing with other racers online through their X-box consoles. Racers navigate a course marked by buoys, and there are ramps to catch some air. The game allows for a limited number of buoys to be skipped during the course of the race -- allowing for a strategic shortcut or a few beginner joystick blunders.

The games’ other strategy involves teamwork with a preselected partner. The partner can block rivals with a disruptive wake while you slide by to win the race.

On the affordable end of the gaming world, Carve makes a solid effort to amuse sophisticated gamers while offering newcomers a quick learning curve. If Junior won’t show you how it all works, the “trick tutorial” explains how to do particular tricks so you can become a canal-carving maestro.

-- Emmett Berg