This game has NOT stood the test of time!
I can't be too hard on the game considering there is some depth to it mostly, as Greg Kasavin mentioned in his review of it, in the BMX mode. Plus the surfing was surprisingly entertaining and not as near as frustrating as some of the other modes.
My biggest complaint with the game, however, was the tournament mode. I always used the practice mode, because it was the only mode where you didn't have to enter in 8 different names and sponsors to compete. Come on, who is really going to find 8 friends who are willing to sit around the couch and wait their turn to play California Games. This was by far the most annoying aspect of the game.
While many games from the 80's are still remarkably playable 25 years later, time has not been a friend to this game. The graphics are dated as can be expected, but unlike the classics, they don't hold any kind of charm. The gameplay really isn't that fun. It's more of just something to do rather than enjoy. The sound is almost completely absent. It would have been nice to bike, skate, or surf to some catchy 8-bit tracks, but there is none. So to make it short this game is simply boring.