White water rafting comes to PS2

Indie Games Productions and Nobilis have announced the forthcoming release of Wild Water Adrenaline, billed as "the first white water rafting and kayaking game available for PlayStation 2."

It's the first in a series of outdoor sports games slated for release this spring, and it's sponsored by sports equipment manufacturer Salomon. Apparently the games are all about "creativity, discovery, and the sensation of freedom," and "The paradox to this freedom and creativity is that the equipment is key but must at the same time be forgotten." Righto.

WWA features three different game modes: time attack and slalom plus expert, which is a combination of the first two. You'll be able to ride kayaks and rafts down streams and rivers in France, New Zealand, Canada and the US, enjoying lovely scenery of the snow-covered mountain / lush jungle / picturesque forest variety. Plus you can customise your Salomon-branded rafts, kayaks, helmets, clothing and the like.

The kayaking is just for single players, but up to four players can have a go at rafting. In two-player mode, each player controls one side of the raft, and you'll need to synchronise your movements to get anywhere. In three-player mode, one player is the raft leader, and gets to order the other two about. Two teams battle it out with two players on each raft in four-player mode.

Actual outdoor sports experts have been consulted during the development process in order to make the game as realistic as possible, and some of the most famous riders in the world will be on hand to offer you professional advice, too.

Wild Water Adrenaline is out this spring, priced £19.99.