Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Game Info
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Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Gremlin Graphics
Year of Release: 1990

Game Review & Impressions
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Skater culture and BMX were really popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, and various video games tried to cash in on their popularity. Skidz is a far cry from the likes of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and much more limited in what it tries to achieve, but it turns urban centres into a playground of sorts, where you get to execute tricks, kicks and flips, cleaning up the city one level at a time.

Choosing either skateboard or bike, the main purpose of each stage is to collect pieces of trash, then depositing them in a nearby bin. You can only carry a limited amount of trash at any given point, so you need to trek back and forth between parts of the level to get them all cleaned up. Your task is made all the more difficult by environmental hazards, potholes and other obstacles along the way. You also need to earn sufficient cash to keep bike, board and rider in working shape, else you won't progress much beyond the opening level. Floating bills might occasionally be spotted in the wild, and can also be spawned by performing a flip or trick, and performing a full 360 degree spin mid-air when launched from a ramp earn a nice bonus, but executing these moves are actually really difficult, and you'll lost health if you fail to land them perfectly. Any cash you do earn can be spent in the shop between stages, tuning up your ride and restoring lost health, before repeating the whole process in the next level.

It's worth mentioning that each stage also has a hidden objective that earns you bonus points when complete. These involve collecting an item and taking it to a specific part of the level, touching a part of the scenery in order to fulfil the task. An example would be delivering an item of mail or parcel to certain building and posting it through a mail box, or taking a newspaper to a port-a-loo on a building site. It's never that obvious exactly where to take said items when you find them, and I suspect you'll complete these mostly by accident, if at all.

The underlying concept of the game isn't bad, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The thing which wrecked the game for me was the controls, which make moving about and performing tricks far more difficult than it needs to be. Building speed is achieved by tapping the fire button, but since this also causes you to jump when the speedometer is at the top of the bar, you'll find yourself bunny hopping constantly, even when you don't want to. Unless you have an especially refined sense of timing, not to mention a great deal of patience, you'll find yourself falling flat on your face most of the time, and probably getting a nasty case of gravel rash into the bargain. Mounting pavements and sidewalks is also really tricky because of this, but it's something you'll need to overcome, due to the fact trash and bonus items are usually placed there.

Ultimately, Skidz is one of those games which might have sounded like a fun idea on paper, but fails to nail the landing in practice. The awkward controls and repetitive levels mean it's really just a dull and uninspiring affair. The only thing of any real note is the soundtrack, a thumping and sample-heavy affair by the late Ben Daglish. Even that lacks variety, but it's the only positive memory I really have of the game. The magazine scores, averaging 80%, seem overly generous in retrospect, and I'd probably only give this 55% at best.

Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
00:36 Stage 1 - Street
04:34 Stage 2 - Park
09:11 Stage 3 - Building Site
13:52 Stage 4 - Chinatown
19:16 Stage 5 - Canal
25:18 Stage 6 - Boardwalk
29:42 Stage 7 - Race