Remember when you were little and you'd mix up loads of ingredients in your mum's kitchen just to see what the result tasted like? Normally you'd be left with a stomach that was flipping more times than a trampolining acrobat but occasionally you'd create something that was palatable, at least to the point where you wouldn't throw it back up again. Developers sometimes use the same approach when designing new games - admittedly without the blue tongue side effect of kitchen mishaps.

Which brings us to Freaky Flyers, a karting game by any other name, except the karts have wings, propellers and, well, they're planes. [Which could make airsickness more of an issue than food poisoning - Ed]

You can take to the skies with more than a dozen characters (most of which need to be unlocked) in this comic third-person airplane racer. Ever played a karting game? Then Freaky will be a test of memory not dexterity. A simple control system allowing you to shoot both forwards and backwards combined with a trigger-based acceleration system is all you need to know. No innovation there, but the game does start to carve a niche for itself with the lush rolling terrain you have to navigate through.

The landscapes offer a wealth of variety, and because you're flying and not stuck to any rigidly enforced track you can pretty much decide your own path through the course. From the mountains of Canada, to the downtown urban sprawl of Chicago. You even get the chance to pay an ode to the '80s movie Innerspace and race through the arteries of a human body while trying to avoid white blood cells. If variety is the spice of life, then this title is one tasty dish.

There are also half a dozen sub-goals to try and complete during each race - from rescuing a Yeti to foiling a bank job - all of which result in shooting stuff as you fly past. As the game progresses it becomes more important to achieve these objectives. Successful completion opens up turbo portals as well as giving you extra slots for bonus pick-ups you find along the way (told you it was just like a kart game). Ultimately, though, this is where the chief complaint comes in. The requirement to complete quests as the races get tougher often means you're focusing on shooting targets and not gaining on your competitors, which won't help you progress through the levels.

Fancy a break from the norm? You can do much worse. The humour (each character is very much a personality, with their own polished cutscenes), two-player dogfight option, inventive maps, mini-games, and novelty of having an aerial kart game can't be ignored. Playing for days on end isn't likely but a quick blast of airborne enjoyment is on the menu with this freaky little game.

1. Easy to pick up and play; hard to put down and stop
2. Variety of maps
3. Shooting your opponents doesn't get dull

1. Too many sub-goals detract from racing

Power
Nothing remarkable under the hood but thankfully no slowdown whilst navigating dense maps.

Style
Highly polished character cutscenes and inventive maps give the game a unique personality.

Immersion
Loads of sub-quests, characters and maps to unlock but it's not exactly brain surgery.

Lifespan
Having to finish second to progress but getting pipped at the post will keep you busy for a while.

Summary
A wacky racer that delivers both fun and firepower. Won't leave you grounded in the entertainment stakes.