Ever since the Cartoon Network channel was introduced to our screens, fortunate kids (and adults) everywhere have had the option of watching nothing but cartoons all day. It's a wonderful concept that's understandably successful, so of course a game was bound to emerge sooner or later. My initial reaction at seeing Cartoon Network Racing was probably the same as that of many other gaming fans out there: "Great, this is just what the world needs - another awful, mindless, cheesy kart racing game!" However, in this case my preconceptions couldn't have been more wrong.

To start with, the attempt to make the game feel like the channel has been highly successful - the array of characters and the detail of the race tracks is simply superb. The 24 tracks are located in such diverse locations as a mine, a fairground, a haunted mansion and a mountain range, among many others, while each of the starring characters has at least one specialised track - for instance, one race takes place in Dexter's laboratory. A great effort has been made to keep the animation looking simple and colourful, faithfully reproducing to the style of the shows that feature in the game.

The interface is lively and interesting, varied game modes are in abundance and the music is as cheesy yet catchy as you would expect. In fact, the yodelling alone makes this game worth the money! The sound effects are excellent throughout - creaking floorboards, grunting walruses and the like - all resulting in gameplay that is never dull. There are over twenty characters from six of your favourite shows to choose from - The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog and I.M. Weasel. An interesting feature is the co-driver who is chosen to deploy the weapons; for example, if you choose Johnny Bravo to drive then you can whisk Dexter away from his laboratory to be your co-driver. Each driver has his or her own strengths and weaknesses while each kart has a unique balance of acceleration, top speed and handling. Each co-driver has two unique special weapons to choose from, once the power bar is full. You control both characters, unless you choose the co-operative two-player mode. Your co-driver also regularly comes out with quips to keep you entertained, along with a thank you speech if you win!

The weapons on offer consist of many of the traditional kart-racing weapons such as missiles, mines, oil slicks and speed-ups. However, the only effect that any of these have is to cause your kart to do a 720-degree spin. The potential of these weapons could have been developed much further, with more interesting and original weapons as well as having varying degrees of effect of their deployment. One nifty feature is Revenge though, which gives you the opportunity to strike back at the racer who just got you; pulling this off grants you a special speed-up boost that can make all the difference, especially towards the end of the race.

The main tournament mode five other karts with a Grand Prix style scoring system. Although a bronze trophy will see you through to the next race, go for the gold and you will unlock special features, including new game modes, new characters and bonus tracks. However, it has to be said that the real gameplay potential lies in the multiplayer modes, which include Quick Race, Battle, Kart Kurling, Cartoon Eliminator, Toon Cup Collection, MINE MINE MINE, Bomb-Bastic and Co-Operative, each as wacky and entertaining as its name suggests! Another excellent feature is the unlocking of short cartoon episodes - a true reward for your hard work. There are twelve of these to be earned.

There is surprisingly only one major weakness in the gameplay, and that is the game mechanism commonly known as catch up, something that causes the race leaders to go slower and those at the back to speed up. This mechanism is employed in many racing games, as it provides more equilibrium between the good and the not-so-good players. Unfortunately for the otherwise highly polished gameplay, the fine balance that is needed for catch up to be successful has been completely discarded, to the extent where you can have two possible scenarios:

1) You amble around the course exploring every nook and cranny and then win.
2) You pull out all the stops only to finish last due to a missile on the final stretch.

Whether this over-the-top level of equality was intended to make the game more competitive for very young players is debatable. However, the fact is that the first two and a half laps of any three-lap race are completely irrelevant.

Despite a couple of flaws, Cartoon Network Racing is still a very enjoyable racer that will provide many hours of entertainment for most age groups, especially when you have someone else to play with. The many, varied game modes will keep you and your friends busy for a long time, while trying to unlock every last cartoon episode is an excellent incentive to complete the whole game. So buy this Cartoon Network Racing, pretend it is for your little brother/sister/ son/daughter (delete as appropriate) and enjoy!

Reviewed by Brett Shirley for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).