The English language is a funny old thing.

Everybody knows the word 'cart' is spelt with a 'c', but in a motorised mutation of the word, 'kart' is now an equally accepted form. Go-karting is at the forefront of this representative revolution, and whilst paving the way for budding Jenson Buttons to flourish, it has also provided the backdrop for several furiously addictive cartoon racers.

Crash Bandicoot is a pretty established character on several consoles. His last outing on Xbox (Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex) wasn't a bad attempt at a continuation of the platform franchise, but now he's arrived in a blaze of kool karting action.

Things kick off with a ludicrously generic storyline, something about the evil galactic Emperor Velo who has conveniently kidnapped Crash and his chums, along with Bandicoot's arch nemesis Cortex and his assorted cronies. They must both face off, and also race against Velo's people, in a bid to save the universe.

What this means, in gaming terms, is the way is paved for all manner of krazy (sorry) racing, over four worlds encompassing 17 tracks. Play through the single-player adventure mode, and race for (then unlock) trophies, relics and CNK tokens in exchange for tracks and cutscenes. The racing itself is reasonably fun; use the jump function to boost speed, collect power-ups and weapons to use against opponents, and hit speed patches on the track for that vital velocity burst. The graphics are shockingly colourful without being garish, and everything runs at a relatively smooth pace. Relatively, because unfortunately there's no real sense of speed conveyed here. Races can feel sluggish, and you'll soon be urging little Crash to get a bloody move on as he chugs along like a Sunday driver.

You can play through the game as either team Crash or Cortex, with each team member supposedly having varying attributes of speed, handling etc, although in reality there's no real discernible difference between cars. The enemy AI makes no sense either. You can build up a decent lead throughout the race, with no nearby blobs on the track map, and be heading for the finish... when suddenly, from out of nowhere, an opponent will come flying past. Very annoying. It's a shame, but shopping cart racing is probably just as much fun.

Power
Nitro Kart has a smooth framerate but the vehicles don't exactly move at breakneck pace.

Style
Nice graphics but ultimately it's a kiddie racer, with the customary frantic poppy rock music to match.

Immersion
Easily accessible accompanied by very basic controls, but very short single-player mode.

Lifespan
Multiplayer fun is a saving grace - single-player unfortunately won't go the distance.

Overall Doesn't crash and burn as a fun multiplayer party game, but the single-player mode leaves a lot to be desired.

1. Varied environments
2. Lush graphics
3. Fun multiplayer

1. Terrible sense of speed
2. Way too short
3. Samey vehicles