First-person racing games are difficult to do well on cell phones. This is because, like their first-generation console forefathers, mobile developers essentially have to simulate 3D gaming. Though it has many promising aspects, Dwango's Jet Ski racing game, AquaX, has murky controls and strobe light graphics that are symptomatic of a nasty case of fake 3D-itis.

You control a jet skier through six different environments, from Diamond Island to Iceberg Bay, running laps around a group of buoys. The areas are pretty repetitive but, like most games of this ilk, the variety comes in how the obstacles and ramps are laid out. The area names are more indicative of the nicely rendered background landscape than the gameplay.

The graphics are large and bright. Your character is well defined and the water looks relatively realistic. Unfortunately, the frame rate is pretty bad. For instance, when you do a 360-degree roll, the graphics show your jet ski slowly turning in every direction. I can't count how many times I crashed in the water because my guy was still completing tricks I started seconds before. In the end, I just started ending tricks early, even if I missed opportunities to score more.

The controls themselves are sluggish, making it hard to know what's happening at any given time. The "0" key is supposed to be for Turbo, but there is no audio or visual cue when it's pressed. Furthermore, at least from my perspective, the jet skier didn't even speed up when I pressed Turbo.

On the more positive side, AquaX does have some cool tricks. Dwango has taken total advantage of the 2/4/6/8 combination, making it possible to Forward Roll, Superman (handstand), and 360-Turn Left after a few runs. However, you have to start your game over to read the Help menu--it breaks down the tricks if you happen to forget the multilayered controls.

Dwango's AquaX is a decent water-racing title with some interesting features to go along with its weaknesses. The fact remains, however, that other games like JAMDAT's Shaun Murray's Wakeboarding Unleashed have done water sports much, much better on the cell.