Skifree is a very simple game, but it is also very fun and addictive. I remember playing this game all of the time in elementary school, back when the school had Windows 3.1 and no internet. It is not hard to play - all you really need is your mouse or your directional keypads in order to play. You are the skier, skiing down a slippery slope, and you have to avoid rocks, other skiers, dogs (what would dogs be doing up there on the mountain?) and trees.
There are three modes to play: Freestyle, where you get points for stylish moves and flips done off of the ramps on the mountain, Tree Slalom, and Slalom. In Slalom, you have to rotate your skier around little posts with arrows on them telling you which direction to go around it, beating the clock and rushing around those posts as fast as you can. Tree Slalom is kind of the same, except it is more difficult because it has more trees. You can also go off to the side at the beginning and just practice on your own.
You can ski as long as you want, at least until you get eaten by an evil snowman who apparently likes the taste
of people! I have not played a skiing game in recent times, so I cannot compare it against other skiing games, but I think, for its simplicity, that it is a great skiing game. No, it won't show you what skiing is really like, but it might save you from breaking your leg or arm or getting frostbite on the cold, snowy hill because you were curious about skiing.
For me, I rather am inside my cosy house, on my computer, playing Skifree than risking my life out on the dangerous, snowy mountaintops. I recently rediscovered this game at my Grandpa's house, since he has a Windows 3.1 that is fully functional and still has the Skifree game. It does not take much time to download, and is easy and fun to play, so what are you waiting for?
It does take a bit of practice to learn how to avoid the trees and other obstacles, and to perfect your landings when your skier jumps off the ramp, but the practice is well worth the fun in this game that only takes minutes to play. It will be a worthy addition alongside Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Pinball on the Window's Game menu, if you download it.
I believe it was lucky for me to have found so many great games, such as Skifree, on this website, and to be able to reminisce about my childhood computer game playing days by taking a trip down memory lane.
