Hot Wheels Turbo Racing

Video game developers sure are giving us ex-kids an excuse to shamelessly play with our favorite childhood car toys again. Seems that every favorite car toy brand is now immortalized on a game console: Lego Racers, RC Racing, Penny Racers, Micro Machines--even Tonka Raceway. And now in zips the virtual rendition of a toy collector favorite, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing.

In the Hot Wheels world, wild stunts and blazing crashes are par for the course. Each track faithfully incorporates design elements and the feel of the Hot Wheels track sets, complete with that signature scraping sound of plastic wheels digging into dizzying loops and high-banked curves.

It's the stunts that make this game a true Hot Wheels racing experience. Each track offers plenty of bumps and jumps for pulling off crazy flips, rolls, somersaults, and helicopter spins that earn turbo boosts, necessary power-ups for finishing in the lead. This stunt-boost-stunt-boost racing method makes for a chaotically fun experience, with the lead shifting by the moment as cars flip, tumble, crash, and burn every which way toward the finish line.

The graphics aren't the greatest to grace an auto racing game--bland colors, flat textures, and blocky scenery are a common sight--but once one is barreling along at over 100 mph through dizzying loops and curves, aesthetics take a back seat to the intensely fun action. --Eric Twelker

Pros:

• Faithful recreation of the Hot Wheels world
• Dizzying track designs
• Tons of replay value

Cons:

• Bland graphics on many tracks