Game developers seem to be running short of inspiration these days. They pounce on fleeting items at random and turn these obscure pieces of inspiration into a game. Maybe someone was digging in the garden one day and was inspired to make Worms. You can just imagine the developers of this game finding a crumpled Beano under the bed and swiftly asking the only question that matters any more; will it make money?

Beanotown Racing takes ten famous characters from the Beano and Dandy comics and sets them upon ten loony vehicles for you to tear around the equally loony tracks in. If the appearance of specific characters makes any difference, you have: Desperate Dan, Dennis the Menace, Gnasher, Roger the Dodger, Korky the Cat, Bananaman (eeugh, spell that in a hurry), Minnie the Minx, Brain Duane, Bea and last but not least, Plug from the Bash St. Kids.

Unfortunately, as with many other similar titles such as South Park Rally, the main feature of the game is simply the licensed inclusion of these famous characters. The benefit of having an entirely fictional inspiration is that the developers strive to provide some meat; something different or at least some innovations that make it stand out from the other swarms of racing games out there. Beanotown Racing happily relaxes under the weight of its license and lets the popular subject matter work the magic. This translates into rather a dull game.

Let's clear this up; Beanotown Racing is not too bad. Well not entirely anyway. But equally it is such a staid and formulaic take on such an overcrowded and hackneyed genre that it just numbs the mind to play. The first few races almost peak into what you might call fun, as you discover all your favourite comic characters wobbling about the roads in their zany perambulators and dustbins and the like. You even get to visit genuine locations from the comics, Bash St. School and Cactusville being two of the most widely recognised. After a couple of races, however, you'll realise how basic the game really is and you'll start winning races with your eyes closed. Tracks are short and badly designed, featuring too many cramped indoor environments for enjoyment. Since there are only six tracks for the entire game this is a major problem and knocks the replay value down to virtually nil. I completed the entire game and unlocked every extra in less than two hours. Add in the frustrating AI and things start to tumble downhill quicker than the contents of Desperate Dan's plate at dinnertime.

The AI is a strange bag. In the lower two difficulty levels your opponents are pretty rubbish and will slow down when you are behind and speed up when you catch up. The hardest difficulty level is a whole different kettle of cow pies however and allows you to win some races without being overtaken once, yet took me eight attempts to come higher than fourth on another. All the time your opponents get in your way and any contact with them will slow you down to a turtle's crawl. All the while they are shooting you with one of the many 'novelty' weapons including tomatoes, cow pies and smelly nappies, all suited to each character but adding very little to the game.

One thing that pleasantly impressed me was the simple cartoony graphics. They are in no way of high quality but do a reasonable job of conveying the quaint charm that makes the comics so famous. As you race through the cartoon locations toy planes will zoom about in the sky, trains will cross bridges and a representative section of the scenery goes about everyday comic bustle, creating quite a nice racing atmosphere. The audio is what you would expect; a few cheesy music tracks, adequate sound effects, plus individual taunts and engine sounds for each character.

A lot of importance has to be placed on vehicle handling in a racing game, quite simply because that is the only element of gameplay. I'm sad to say that the handling of this title is slow, cumbersome and frustrating. Even when you know every nuance of every track and could drive them all blindfolded you'll still find yourself paying your respects to the fence frequently because the handling is so shoddy. I could hardly restrain the frustration seizures, as what could be described as 'fun' handling turned out to be a joke indeed.

To hammer the last nail into Beanotown Racing's coffin it has no multiplayer whatsoever. This only possible redeeming feature makes a predictable non-appearance and seals the game's fate as a lightweight also-ran, hobbling over the finish line in a sorry state. Beano and Dandy fans might find some short-term amusement here, as might young children, but any racing devotee with the slightest modicum of self-respect will avoid this game. It is a lazy attempt and one that deserves criticism for milking yet another license with such a severely lacklustre effort.

Reviewed by AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).