Over the hill and through the woods..

Top Gear Rally is the only racing game I really like. All the other ones I've played ten to be much alike, with snazzy sports cars zooming all over a city. Top Gear Rally is different in that it boasts a variety of tracks, lighting and weather conditions.

Your first race is a coastal race, in daylight with clear conditions. It's not too hard to learn the track and I was able to consistently finish 1st after only a few tries. The next track is the jungle track, with dirt roads, and some pretty sharp corners. There's also a desert track, plus two others.

The ability to select the type of transmission you want to use, the type of tires, steering, and suspension add greatly to the game. If you don't choose the right tires for the track you're on, you can definitely tell a difference. I'm not a racing expert, so I learned the difference between "slippy" and "grippy" tires mostly by trial and error. With a lot of it being error. :) Another plus is the ability to pick whether you want to steer using the joystick or the crosspad. I do much better with the crosspad, but my daughter excels with the stick, so it's a matter of personal comfort.

When you first start, you can only choose from about 4 cars. As you progress in the races, more cars are added to the selection. The further you get in the game, the harder the tracks are. The tracks themselves stay the same, but believe me, even after racing on the jungle track 800 times, the first time you do the jungle, after dark, in the rain, it becomes MUCH harder.

The game is highly addictive, leading to many thoughts of "THIS time I can make it to first place. I know I can", which makes it a leading contender in the "Nintendo thumb" injury category.

As with most other games, you can find cheat codes galore all over the 'net, so if you'd like, you can start your first race with a car that's about 70 times faster than the competitors cars (which are limited to the standard car selection for that stage). Of course, these cars are also 70 times harder to control, so it's not much of an advantage in the long run.

The instant replay is neat. After each race, you get to see a movie of your last lap, shot from multiple camera angles. You'll get to enjoy hearing your friends laugh hysterically all over again as they view once more your expert driving that flipped you upside down against the mountain. Yes, the cars do react realistically to what you do. If you take a banked curve too fast, you can flip over and land on your roof. However, unlike real life, after a short while, the car rights itself. Sometimes. At times the game randomly decides to teach you a lesson, and only a re-set will get you back in a race.

This is a good game for beginners, since it's easy to learn, and the early tracks are fairly simple to get used to. Oh, there are also multiple shortcuts on each track, but they're usually well hidden. I found it worthwhile to drive really slowly the first few times just to find the shortcuts. They can shave precious seconds off your time, and in later stages, the other drivers will utilize the shortcuts themselves.

So start your engines and give Top Gear Rally a shot.