Amongst Nokia's less than impressive N-Gage launch list back in 2003, was THQ's Moto GP. Moto racing by name, moto racing by nature. Well, at least that's what I thought, until I played the N-Gage version, one racing game that doesn't really know what it is. Being a Moto fan, I jumped at the chance of having a mobile Moto GP in full 3D. Maybe I was a bit over eager on the throttle?

Upon booting the game, you are greeted warmly with an impressive THQ logo and an exciting intro movie. Something tells me that at least 60% of the development time was spent purely on this introduction. You are presented with a number of game modes - single race, multiplayer, grand prix, time trials and track editor, quite a satisfactory amount of game modes, with the surprising inclusion of a track editor. Moto GP contains licensed racers and bike names, such as Yamaha. In my opinion they should have foregone the license fees and spent the budget on actual game development - I wonder, did the idea of making a decent racing game ever cross their minds?

The single race mode is straightforward; you choose a difficulty from easy, medium or hard, then decide on a rider, track to race on and the weather conditions - sunshine, cloudy or rainy. On that note, the rain looks more like someone cut little black slits in the screen rather than any kind of downpour. This race mode pits you against a number of other riders but you feel like you are racing alone most of the time. The heads up display shows your position as a number but does not show how many other racers are taking part, which can be confusing. You can check your status on the map though, which is a plus. Multiplayer mode is more of the same, except you actually race a real person. If you don't like the poor gameplay in single mode, multiplayer won't change your mind. Time trial mode is similar again, except you are on your own, trying to beat your own lap times.

Grand prix mode is best suited for the sadists out there. It's nothing but endurance; there was no fun to be had playing through this mode. The idea is to race around the same track for a certain time period, 10 minutes or thereabouts. Then repeat, many, many times. Sure, you get to unlock new tracks and bikes but what are you going to with these new bikes? Race (more like crawl) around the tracks again and again. This is a known racing formula, which I actually enjoy on other racing titles, but this game just kills it, buries it and resurrects it, only to kill it again. Death by boredom! I actually remember my eyes closing playing through the GP mode at one point and that's saying something.

I mentioned previously that Moto GP included a track editor mode in the game. This came as a shock and is certainly something that more games could do with. Although basic, it allows for a little boost in lifespan, as when you've raced all the included tracks you can always make your own. It's a very simple affair, choose a track piece and lay it on a big green map. Choose corners, straights and set the start and finish lane. Then save your creation (or abomination) and race!

I mentioned earlier about this game being quite confused - the reason for this is that it does not handle exactly like a Moto game should, but rather like a terrible cross between a Moto game and a car racer. Rather than the standard lean to turn ideal, pressing left or right on the d-pad actually steers your bike almost like a car, whilst leaning at the same time, which makes for some very messy controlling. Key 5 is the accelerate function, key 7 is the brake button, key 1 takes a look behind you and key 3 changes the viewpoint from external to behind the windscreen. It certainly has a steep learning curve and I would not call this a feature of the game; it just seems like bad development. Cornering - trying to stay on track - is the only challenge; come at a corner faster than 1mph and you skid off into a wall. You find yourself almost coming to a halt when cornering, which ruins the supposedly fast paced nature of the racing.

The sound is irritating at best. It's very loud and can be ear piercing, which was the case with quite a few of the launch titles on the N-Gage, volume control being limited. The engine sounds like a distressed cat as it squeals along and there are about three music tracks for you to race to, consisting of various punk elements, running bass lines and drum beats. Even these become repetitive after some time, which is a shame.

The graphics are very grainy and sometimes look like a pixelated pig sty. The bike models aren't too bad but they certainly aren't very attractive. The textures are vile and the frame rate drops significantly when there is too much on screen at once. Given the fact that this game has a poor frame rate to begin with, this is not a good thing and so the game chugs along at a sluggish rate, removing most of the fun.

Although promised on the back of the box, Moto GP actually does not feature any online modes. It's supposed to contain a global ranking option but that does not exist, possibly due to rushed development or release deadlines. This is one flaw that severely cuts the lifespan of Moto GP. Online functions may have actually made me want to come back to the game, although to be honest, I doubt it.

Moto GP is a chore to play, offering endurance rather than time killing gameplay. The graphics are rushed, the sound is a pain and the controls are abysmal, while the racing is lacklustre and so not very rewarding. There are far better racing games available on the N-Gage game deck and while it's the only Moto racer on the N-Gage, that alone cannot justify a purchase. It's just a generic mess with a Moto GP logo slapped on it. With all this said, it's best to do something that you can't easily do in the game - steer well clear!

Reviewed by Dan Whelan for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).