Crash Team Racing

Overall: B+
Violence: B-
Sexual Content: A
Language: A-
Drugs/Alcohol: A

Platform reviewed: Sony Playstation
Publisher: Naughty Dog
ESRB rating: E

Within minutes of pulling it out of the box, you can be off to the races! Easy to learn and play, Crash Team Racing (CTR), allows you to be one of eight different characters (or even more if you use secret codes) who drive their carts around more than twenty types of tracks, ranging from snow covered lanes to a maze of sewer pipes. The drivers abilities vary in speed, acceleration, and cornering skills, so choose carefully because being fast may mean you'll have a problem falling off the elevated tracks, or being keen at the curves may make you a snail on the straightaway.

The game offers a "driver's eye view" and competition between real or computer opponents (up to four players requires the Sony multi-tap accessory), so gentlemen, start your engines.

The grand-daddy game on the disk is the CTR Adventure, where you drive around a master track leading to other races. Collecting objects and winning these races leads to bigger and better honors, and will probably take hours. Finally, a battle game pits two to four people in an area where they can collect various types of weapons by running into crates with question marks on them, and fire them at each other. The non-explicit violence of blowing up your opponents merely delays them in the race. More strategic options include becoming invisible or using a shield. The first to win depends on how the game is set up: a time, hit, or life limit is possible. Ironically, the only game offering a cooperative mode, is the Battle game.

Good playability and a quick learning curve make this well tested premise a fun, albeit brainless, experience for all ages. The graphics are very good and there is enough variety in the music that it isn't too annoying (it can be turned down or off). If you have the Sony Dual-Shock controllers, the road vibrations will add extra interest. Certainly reality is totally suspended in Crash Team Racing - don't expect an insurance deduction for these driving lessons.

Rod Gustafson

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