It may be 'just one of those things', but that doesn't make it any less true: when a new game contains big chunks from a selection of previous hits, the warning bells start to ring. Rockstar's Midnight Club is like that. Part Driver, part Ridge Racer, you begin to wonder where the extra spark a great game needs is going to come from. It certainly isn't obvious from first acquaintance.

Y'see, this comes across from the start as a game with little depth - just a pure arcade thriller. The central concept couldn't be simpler. Urban thrill junkies have made the witching hour streets their own, illegally racing each other at breakneck speeds in all manner of tweaked vehicles. At stake is the respect of their opponents, and frequently their rides as well. Think of a dive bar blind date between Midnight GT and Bullitt and you're there.

It's stylishly presented though. Midnight Club's nifty menu gives you both a dip-in Arcade section, with Head 2 Head, Waypoint, Capture the Flag and Driver-esque Cruise modes, and a meatier Career mode, which is where the real deal begins.

You start the game as a regular Joe cruising the Big Apple on the look out for illegal racers. Find one, tail him/her and you'll be challenged to a cross city race. Win, and you get his mobile number. At this stage you can either race him again for his car, or look for another club member. To fill your garage and gain kudos you must beat the lot, at any cost. And, more or less, that's it.

The cities available (New York and, later, London) are huge, glossy caricatures of the real things and any route that sees you over to the finish first is the right one. Pile-ups take on highly strategic value as you can block your opponent's best route, while numerous hidden short cuts mean the difference between victory and coming second to a wideboy called Darren Thurrock.

But, for all its atmosphere, Midnight Club is unashamedly arcade simple in concept. The game's strength is that it's breathtakingly fast, with some fantastic vehicles to be unlocked. Curiously, though, it's in this welding together of arcade sensibilities and gritty premise that a fly appears in the Turtle Wax.

You see, for a game about illegal racing through rubbish-blown city streets, Midnight Club looks just too polished for its own good. Imagine racing through a Ridge Racer-fied Deptford, replete with blushing dawn and slick reflection mapping. Desirable it may be, but realistic it ain't. The cars also handle with a disappointing lightness - a shame, since the designers have gone to impressive lengths to show the cumulative effects of abusing Newton's laws on your chosen vehicle.

The sad truth of it is that Midnight Club is gridlocked by trying to be two different games at once. Its Driver-style grim 'n gritty environment isn't quite gritty enough, failing to square with the controls' arcade lightness of touch. The result, although fun, fails to engage the higher gears of player interest.

1. Huge environments
2. Plenty of short cuts
3. Impressive speed

1. Insubstantial handling
2. Lack of real longevity
3. Tired gameplay

Graphics 50%
Nice details, but clunky building designs.

Sound 60%
Good techno soundtrack, effective SFX.

Gameplay 40%
Not without challenges, but nothing new.

Lifespan 40%
Okay as a two-player, but still limited.

Overall 40%
Although it's tempting to be blown away by slick graphics and speed, Midnight Club feels dated. Not awful, but the PS2 can do much better.