As the white stuff builds up and authority panics, I'm faced with an ever-stretching chasm of freedom in my otherwise fairly busy life. I decided to reconnect my PS2 to my TV in order to revisit some old gems - and I chose Downhill Domination, the only mountain-biking game I've ever loved. As the game loads and the PS2's mysterious working parts begin to whir again, it seems like a long time since I've played my PS2, although it must only have been a month or two while I've been diverted with completing my large collection of Xbox games. Finally, Downhill Domination loads, and I remember how great a game it is. I choose my character - Ajax, who I always play as - and endure his over-played role with gritted teeth as I plunge into a race after choosing a bike and, more importantly, its paint job. Mount Middule, France - the first race in Downhill Domination's Career mode and the first track I ever raced. All the bikers speed off and I struggle to keep at the front, eventually easing off to let them overtake as I divert from the group and take a shortcut burned into my mind. Even though my competitors are in the distance, I can see my position climbing up the ranks until I'm first and I can only vaguely hear the pack behind me, their tires biting into the ground viciously. I pull off a suitably acrobatic move and cycle into one of the more vertical sections of the course, and I'm reminded why this game is such a classic. Powerups smash mesmerisingly on contact as I progress through a green combat powerup, then a red speed boost which sends me airborne at neck-breaking velocity, only for me to take advantage of the boost and do a backflip as lightning strikes the side of the mountain and trees burn. I enter the final part of the course, and I allow myself to slow down for some extra tricks and the following of the final Black Diamond trails. I start to feel a sort of creeping paranoia as I ride over the final ridge, sure that all of a sudden a competitor would appear on my screen, or a flying punch would leave me shamefully bailed. Thankfully, the punch never arrived and I crossed the finish line with theatrical flair, pulling one last stunt which I narrowly landed before collecting my winnings. Job done. Hurrah.