Genre: Racing

Year Released: 2003 (Gamecube).

Number of Players: 1-4 simultaneously (on one Gamecube. Up to 16 players can play at once with Nintendo's new LAN feature.)

Mario returns to the track along with some fresh new faces (as well as all your old favorites, of course)! But this isn't the same old Mario Kart as before. Now they're teaming up in pairs (one drives, one uses items), adding a whole new twist to this great series.

Graphics: Great stuff. A host of colorful characters, karts, and tracks is included, each with amazing animation and detail. From the huge environments to the little visual touches (exhaust, sparks flying, the expressions on characters' faces), it's greatly improved over the series' previous offerings, which is to be expected on a system like the Gamecube.

Play Control: Some might think controlling two characters at once could be a handful, but you'll get the hang of it in minutes. From simple steering to using items to powerslides, it's all at your fingertips. A simple tap of the button will let you switch drivers midrace. Controls when two players are on one kart are a little trickier, so you'll have to be able to coordinate your moves with the other person.

Sound: Each track has awesome background music, which is great and suits the feel of this fast-paced racing game. Each character has a good number of different quotes, so you won't be hearing Daisy screaming "HI I'M DAISY" all the time. Lucky you.

Challenge: 50cc mode is good enough for beginners, sure, but most Mario Kart veterans want a challenge, and a challenge is what they'll get. The higher difficulty modes will surely keep even the most seasoned players on their toes, and with modes like Mirror Mode and All Cup Tour to unlock (as well as a great number of unlockable tracks, characters, karts, and more), you'll be playing Double Dash for weeks.

The Bottom Line: A must buy for race fans. If you liked any of the previous Mario Kart games, you should definitely pick Double Dash up. And if you have the equipment necessary for it, be sure to try out Nintendo's new LAN feature, in which you can link up Gamecubes and run a race with up to 16 individual players. Cool!