Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's the local van driver being bulldozed into orbit by a snazzy Toyota Celica doing 150mph on the highway. Yep, as if it was never away, the street racer is back on the circuit with a vengeance, carving up city roads and causing widespread panic amongst peace-abiding communities. Ever fancied being that bald bloke from the Fast and the Furious flicks? Here's a damn fine opportunity to put yer dosh where yer mouth is, and burn rubber like it was manufactured specifically for fires.

Joining the huge number of this year's street racers is the latest greased-up offering from EA's Need for Speed series. A previous cult favourite on home computers, the new Underground is a challenge of your mettle in the illegal world of street racing. Fortunately, for the easily bored, this involves a tad more than speeding from A to B. Underground's trump card is its variety. On top of the standard four-car urban sprints, this one chucks in time trials, tense knockout races, 'drift' competitions and best of all, super-dangerous drag races, which reward lax reflexes with explosive pile-ups.

Just as important as your ability to squeal over finish lines in prime position, is your car's aesthetic. There's no point being the 'corner king' if your so-called road beast would blend in comfortably on Aunt Gladys's front drive. So employing your decorative know-how is essential. Unlocking new body parts, bumpers, spoilers, paint jobs, logos and vinyl coverings enables you to customise your chosen vehicle into a majestically satanic slice of hardware, capable of inciting flocks of easy women to your feet. Inevitably, your 'reputation rating' will soar too, multiplying any points scored for stylistic invention - grabbing air, powersliding and narrowly avoiding traffic a la Burnout all bless you with a street credibility 50 Cent could only ever dream of. And he's been shot in the face, like, nine times.

Evaluated on its own turf, Underground cranks out some pretty solid racing thrills. It may not be the sweetest looker on the grid, but it accelerates at a fair whack and the fast-paced Story mode should entertain even the most stubborn amathophobics. But the game lacks one essential ingredient - soul. Midnight Club II piled on the humour with an excellent cast of stereotyped characters, and Burnout 2: Point Of Impact was more preposterously crazy than a nude night out in Newcastle. Underground, in comparison, seems a tad faceless. The lack of character development hampers any sense of rivalry, and although the city circuits become increasingly winding as tournaments rage, they can't compare to the exotic delights served up by, say, Project Gotham Racing 2.

Need For Speed Underground's problem is that it's arrived six months too late into a scene dominated by groovy, top-end racers such as PGR 2 and Burnout 2 and unfortunately has no Xbox Live play like Sega GT Online. Test drive this game carefully before parting with your hard-earned pennies - unless you happen to be a road-based psychopath who'd try to customise a shopping trolley anyway.

1. Fast and fun racing
2. Tons of races
3. Different events add variety

1. Lacks soul
2. Adds so little to a saturated genre

Power
Reasonably fast, although it's sometimes unclear what's lurking up ahead.

Style
Typical glossy presentation from EA with stylish night-time races and loud music.

Immersion
Handles well but pretty unremarkable if you've already played Burnout 2.

Lifespan
Over 100 races to win, with tons of stuffto unlock. It should keep you going for a bit.

Overall A decent if unspectacular street racer marred by the fact that there are already tons of respected racers on the block.