Sports Active 2 – review

Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Electronic Arts, cert: 3, out now
  • The Observer,
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Sports Active 2: 'Easy to use and effective.'

The latest iteration in a burgeoning fitness gaming market, Sports Active 2 is an all-bells-and-whistles, heart-monitoring and motion-sensing training regime – even coming complete with peppermint-scented resistance band.

Buy it from

  1. PS3
  2. Wii
  1. EA Sports Active 2
  2. Electronic Arts

It's the most interactive exercise title to date, offering a tailored, personal workout that records data such as heart rate and calorie burn but also easy to use and effective. The entire experience is varied, from the exercises on offer to the surroundings in which they take place.

Virtual personal trainers and avatars provide a gamey feel, which enhances the actual enjoyment of the process, while the body tracking gadgets are user-friendly and make for a state-of-the-art home workout, complete with warm-ups, well-timed water breaks and cool-down stretches.

Crucially this doesn't always feel like a fitness title, which is a good thing, especially when there are opportunities to test out football skills, shoot basketball hoops and spar with an on-screen punchbag. On the down side, the motion sensors can occasionally fall out of sync, making it harder to convince the device that you have completed a task – a wholly demonic punishment for the casual exerciser. Oh and you'll need a fair bit of space. It's not easy doing sit-ups with your elbow under a coffee table and your legs inside the TV cabinet.

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