South Park Rally

Crossing the karting antics of Mario with the characters from South Park would seem to spell a recipe for success. And there are a few great ideas in this game, most notably the hilarious power-ups that eschew the formulaic missile-based weapons in favour of Saddam Hussein, a prostitute ("five bucks for a lay, ten for a ****") and the stunning vibro-nuke.

Unfortunately, the engine doesn't play ball and after a few races in single or multiplayer mode (there's support for Internet and network play, but strangely no split-screen) boredom levels start to creep towards the 'switch this damn game off' level. Obstacles are for the most part immovable and it's too easy to get stuck and lose the race because of a single mistake.

Tlie tracks are also way too complex and you have to keep watching your car on the map to check you're going in the right direction, rather than spend the time concentrating on slamming your vehicles towards the finish line. It still works as an 'after the pub' game and it's more fun than the terminally dire and unplayable Ford Racing, but we still wouldn't recommend it unless you're a huge South Park fan.