It's frustrating when something doesn't go according to plan. A bright person failing to pass their exams, for example, or someone making a cake with really posh ingredients only for it to taste rank. Or like having some quite good ideas for a game, but the finished result turning out to be rubbish.

Unfortunately, this is the case with Pulse Racer. There are some decent, unusual ideas here, such as the way your driver has a pulse rate that must be managed to race well. Use the turbo too much and your driver's pulse goes through the roof, meaning they will have a bit of a funny turn. No need to reach for the defibrillator just yet, though - all that happens is the engine stalls, losing you several race positions in the process. Judicious use of the boost is therefore the order of the day.

In another twist, you can also bomb round hairpins at full pelt by harnessing energy beams that drag you around the bend without impacting on your speed. It's a bit like the grappling hook you could use with the Batmobile in the ancient Amiga Batman game. It's always good to see something a bit different cropping up in video games, isn't it?

Dig a little bit deeper into Pulse Racer's world and you'll find that a variety of power-ups and a track generator also add to the game.

Both are nice touches. But nice touches aren't a substitute for good, meaty gameplay. And that's something that's completely absent from Pulse Racer. The handling model is utterly atrocious, never once managing to convince you you're driving a vehicle. Horace goes Skiing had a more subtle feel to it, for goodness' sake.

The visuals are criminally bad for an Xbox game, too. They do get better after the first few races, but after seeing what's on offer from the start, you won't want to progress. From the opening level, you'd swear the game's running on a Mega Drive - and there's even slowdown!

It's all very well having some nice ideas for a game, but they need to be well implemented to be of any use. As it is, the standard racing and driving in Pulse Racer is nowhere near good enough to compete on Xbox, and the more novel aspects of the title don't get a chance to thrive. Shame.

1. Some decent enough ideas...

1. ...but it doesn't capitalise on them
2. Awful graphics
3. Terrible 'handling'
4. Can't compete with any Xbox racer

Power
You shouldn't be seeing games like this on your Xbox - it only uses about one per cent of its potential.

Style
The game looks and feels both cheap and tacky, although later courses look a bit better.

Immersion
The handling is so poor you will be appalled before the first lap is even over.

Lifespan
It's doubtful you'll get more than half an hour out of it. Which is a bit rubbish, frankly.

Summary
A racing game that fails to deliver on any level, this isn't pulse-racing - just heart-stoppingly feeble.