There's not much to a demolition derby. Take a clapped-out, MOT-liability of a banger and then clap it out even more in the most spectacular fashion possible.

It follows, then, that any game based on such carnage only needs one thing. Shagged-out rust-buckets ploughing into one another at speed, willing and able to shatter into showers of scrap metal for the sake of visual fireworks and gutsy entertainment. That ought to do it.

And that's exactly what you get with Crash. Pick a vehicle, an arena, an event, go break stuff and that's yer lot. Overly polished cars skid about the place, and it all feels a bit plastic and toyish - more like ramming Hot Wheels into the skirting board than watching a Car Wars video.

The object is to propel your car into the fray - farting nitro as you go - collect some points and cause some serious wreckage, then retreat to a distance and do it all over again.

With such a madly slack handbrake at your disposal (handbrake turns are generous quarter circles turning your car on a penny) only makes things easier when you're lining up for your next drive-by. Everything is simple, but effective.

At the core of the game is a 12-level, 36-challenge Career mode. There's an interesting selection of game types on offer, but you can only play most of the really good ones once. There should be the opportunity to repeat the original and exciting challenges over 12 levels but instead, the tasks that turn up most often are the less interesting standard ones. An entire game could happily be based around some of the better challenges, such as Bus Jump and Skittles And Crates, but they're used as one-off novelties, and it's a waste.

Just as you're really getting into Crash, finding a favourite muscle car with the least garish paint job and realising that the simple gameplay doesn't have to make for a bland experience, you'll find you've seen most of what's on offer. You can customise the game types, but only with a limited range of options.

It's a bit gutting - kind of like when you realise that, despite the massive advances of science, you'll still be tying your own shoelaces this time next year.

The Career mode is great while it lasts, but also goes to show how underused Crash's best features are. We managed to finish it in around five hours of solid play. No license tasks, no shopping for upgrades, no worries - just unlock a few cars and arenas, finish first and then you're done. Some boy bands have careers longer than that.

The Arcade mode is some compensation, since you can access most of the levels that you've punched through in Career mode and play them on Arcade-mode-only tracks.

There is, however, a slight high-score compulsion that means you'll come back to those events that you like, but it would have been so much more fun if they were longer and bulked up. This is a game in desperate need of a Wonderbra to make best use of its assets.

Crash is loose and occasionally frantic driving fun, but the fleeting appearances of the good bits simply hint at just how great it could have been if more use had been made of that cool stuff, instead of sticking to tasks and events we've seen loads of times in other racing games. It needs more depth, more geekonomics, whether in terms of vehicle customisation, increased control and combo opportunities or simply more elaborate places to arse about. While you could do worse than buy this, Crash should have been a lot better.

1. Some imaginative game modes
2. Instant, lo-fi fun

1. Good features are underused
2. Few things to do
3. Graphics not a patch on other Xbox games

Power
Nothing amazing, but nothing really bad either. Solid, if basic, graphics and sound.

Style
Everything runs smoothly, and the cars are almost too shiny for their own good.

Immersion
Can be addictive, provided you're not after anything too rewarding. The good bits are very addictive.

Lifespan
Career mode is over in a wink. Multiplayer adds a little extra but this isn't a long-term proposition.

Summary
Good fun for the few hours that it lasts. It's a shame more wasn't made of the original and exciting sections.