There have been rumours for several months regarding EA Games' alternative to Wii Fit. Back in July this year, the game dubbed by some as EA Fitness, was expected to be revealed at E3 but turned out to be a no-show. Then more rumours emerged regarding the possibility of EA using a new periperal for the game with no real mention of the Wii Balance Board. Finally, in an interview with Gamespot Australia, EA President Peter Moore spilled the beans on EA Sports Active and I have to say it sounds pretty good.

Let's face it, Wii Fit is a great introduction to the potential of the Wii Balance Board. It has some fun mini games and some basic exercises but it's far from being a real fitness tool. Exercises are quite limited and there's no real progression or the ability to customize your workout. Plus it uses BMI which makes small children cry and parents fume at the thought of their kids being told they're obsese. But, credit where credit is due, Wii Fit has brought the benefits of exergaming to the masses and put balance boards in millions of homes, creating a market that's just ripe for the picking. Enter EA games.

So, let's get one thing clear from the off. EA Sports Active WILL make use of the wiiboard although its use is not required. Instead, EA are focussing more on their new peripheral which is not really a new peripheral but simply a neoprene device that will allow you to strap the wiimote/nunchuck to your arm or leg. Moore did however say "if you have one [wii balance board], we've got enough exercises in there that you'll want to put it in front of the TV and use it". So if your wiiboard has been gathering dust there'll be no more excuses once this title is released.

Here's a summary of top features:

• True one-to-one motion. Your onscreen character will move with you, tracking both upper and lower body movement.
• Multiplayer support so you can exercise with a partner.
• Includes a resistance band to increase workout intensity and a nutrition guide.
• Includes a personal trainer who will work out new daily exercise programs or you can create your own custom workouts.
• Tracks calories burned in real-time.
• Over 20 exercises and activities.
• Regular software updates.

Expect to see a lot more on this game in coming months as I suspect that EA is really going to push it. No doubt Oprah will be featuring it soon on her show as it's endorsed by Bob Greene, her personal trainer. There's also mention of future targeted releases such as EA Sports Active Abs and EA Sports Soccer so this is just the beginning of EA's push into exergaming.

To read the full interview with Peter Moore and to view a short preview video visit GamesSpot Australia.

If you're a snowboarding Wii fan then no doubt you've already pre-ordered your copy of Shaun White Snowboarding which promises to be one the best balance board compatible releases this year. But if the thought of pure powder and half-pipes is a bit tame, you may be interested to know about a forthcoming WiiWare release from Hudson who believe that there's nothing like adding weapons to a game to make it really exciting.

"Snowboard Riot is not your standard snowboarding game," said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. "A snowboarding game is a rush by itself, but when you add weapons, it becomes even more exciting. Add in online play for four people and you have the perfect game for both snowboarding and action-racing fans."

Well that pretty much sums it up then. For more details and screenshots of this balance board compatible game, check out the Snowboard Riot preview at Hudson Entertainment.

Call me old fashioned but I've always enjoyed Tetris. There's something mesmerising about those coloured blocks that can keep me occupied for hours. I've been waiting for a Wii version ever since I first got the console so Hudson's latest offering, Tetris Party, was a welcome addition to my collection.

First the good. Yes, it is a more 'cutesy' looking version than the original arcade game and at starting levels, it really does seem a bit slow but once you get beyond level 10 things do hot up and you'll find yourself sweating to keep up. Playing against the console is also great fun and you'll find yourself taking great pleasure in clearing lines that are then passed over to your opponent's matrix. There are also a few variations to the original Tetris such as Field Climber, Shadow and Stage Racer but I personally didn't find them to be particularly exciting.

Where this game really comes into its own is in multi-player mode, hence the Party in Tetris Party. In Battle mode up to 4 players each get their own matrix which you try to clear in the usual way, with cleared lines passed over to your opponents. In addition, you can collect 'items' which you can use against your opponents to temporarily freeze their tetrominoes or even blank their screens - it's loads of fun.

Now for the not so good. Balance board support in this game is what I would call 'dumbed down' Tetris. Obviously it's single player only or versus the console but it uses much bigger 'kiddie size' tetrominoes which makes it far less challenging. You control your blocks by leaning left or right, forward or back to drop and use a squating motion to rotate right. I found these controls to be a bit finicky and maybe I was just being impatient but after a short while I just got frustrated and went back to using the Wiimote.

So the bottom line is, if you enjoy Tetris then this game won't dissappoint. It's a fun new take on an old classic and is especially fun in multi-player mode. If you were hoping this game would give you reason to dust off your balance board I'd have to say don't bother - there are better balance board games available now.