Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing (PS2)

Super Bombad Racing is an interesting release from Lucas Learning, combining the rigid canon of the Star Wars universe with more than a little humour. This is apparent from the off, thanks to the funky title music and the playable characters, all of whom have small bodies and really big heads.

The cartoony style sets the tone for a game which grows on you like some evil mould the more you play it. The initial tracks are a little weak--nice and wide with smooth turns but nothing that promotes the fast and furious action kart racers demand. However, battle your way through the first couple of circuits as mini-Maul, mini-Yoda or the insipid mini-Anakin and the city of Theed opens its doors, giving the first indication of just how much fun this game can be.

Graphically it's a visual treat; everything moves along at a firm 60fps with no noticeable slowdown and the little tweaks made to the play arenas really bring it life--keep an eye out for Jabba the Hutt and the excellent Jawas. The sonics are a bit below par, just a set of chunky tunes and some horrible voice acting for the racers--Obi-Wan sounds more like Sean Connery than Ewan McGregor--but this gripe aside, SBR provides everything you need for an evening's entertainment, especially in the rush to get to the mystery racers, who include a certain dark-helmeted chap

SBR really comes into its own in multi-player mode, when the gloves come off and up to four folks can battle it out with a multitap. It's the closest in a while we've come to Mario Kart-style action, and is massively entertaining, especially when nailing JarJar with a burst of multi-coloured energy--excellent! It certainly won't be to everyone's taste, and it's a pretty radical departure from the usual style of Star Wars fun, but for all that it's engrossing in one player mode and downright hilarious in multiplayer. --Chris Russell