Shox - PlayStation 2

For the single player, the Championship challenge is the best way to play the game. There are four championships in all, each containing six stages, and naturally enough these vary in location and environment. Starting from the bottom, the more races you win the more cash you get, and the more you can unlock. You won't want to battle the final levels with your first choice of vehicle, that's for sure.

The courses offer a neat balance of speed and tight turns, and each has a variety of Shox Zones. These are effectively mini time trials. Get through them really quick, and you'll get a gold, with silver and bronze medals up for grabs too. Three golds in one race unleashes a wall of air ahead of you. Catch it, and you can ride it and thus speed your way still faster to the finish.

It'd be a fair cop should the accusation be levelled at Shox that it's at times a little shallow, potentially lacking long-term appeal, and that it's not quite as good as Burnout 2. But it's still enormous fun, especially in the gloriously over-the-top multi player mode.

Shox won't appease the realist, but it does fulfil its remit of providing deliciously entertaining racing action, without taxing the brain too much. And frankly, it's all the better for it. --Simon Brew