MARIO KART WII! *Spoilers*

Honestly you can't call yourself a fan of nintendo unless you have this game. As soon as you slot the controller into the wheel everything, seamlessly, fits into place. Oh but you may be thinking, old news, been there; got the mug but no mario kart has many ingenious, new, twists that make it fresh, fun and essentially crazy!

With 32 tracks (16 completely new and 16 revisited tracks from accross the consoles) and eight different grand prixs can you ever get bored? I can honestly say no especially with new and the somewhat surprisingly controversial introduction of motorbikes. You may be thinking but this is Mario Kart! Well if you buy the game you won't be. The bike introduces a whole new aspect to the game and totally revitalises it. The bike offers a new whole new styleof play and a slant on the cc difficulty (50 being kart only, 100 being bike only and 150 being both) but is not with it's own draw backs so as not to make it unconquerable to the dependable kart.

The bike is able to do a wheelie (a cool and useful trick as it is faster on one wheel than two) which is great for rubbing it in as you overtake your friend! It is lighter but it cannot boost as fast as the kart and isn't as stable.

We see the return of the rainbow road who anyone who has played a previous mario kart game will jump for joy. Personally I can't say the same thing as I always fall off the track and while playing was even lapped by luigi (yeah i'm aweful at that track and now have a bitter feud with Luigi!).

The wheel is also the perfect adaption for the wii controller as it is easy to use, well once you get the hang of it! Within a couple of tracks you can easily be weilding the wheel like a pro. It also gives the driver much more control, so much so that you almost feel as if you are driving a car.

Unlockable vehicles and characters mean that you permanently have something to work for as there is so much to unlock! There are new challenges to keep you entertained such as time challenge and versus. Time challenges leave you shouting "why are nintendo inhumanely good at mario kart!" as you are once again beaten by the preset 'ghost data'.

Unfortunately, I find that the only down side to the game are the battles. We once again see the return of the balloon battles and coin runner but the only way to compete against a friend or the computer is in teams. I prefer, by far, the old (one on one) format. Albeit I love the new arenas that have been constructed.

Finally, before bidding you a good weekend, I would like to add that the WIFI works amazingly as you can battle or grand prix on a continental or worldwide scale. Race solely against your friend or just join their race, both brilliant touches. I can honestly say this is game worth buying (no i'm not on nintendos payroll!). I'd give it 9.5/10. Have a good weekend! Matthew