Take the wheel with our four-fingered yellow friends

It's a testament to the quality of The Simpsons that not only is it the longest-running cartoon series on TV, but also the most successful comedy show of all time. So it's unfortunate that games based on this fantastic licence have been a big disappointment. Until now.

It seems Homer and co have a penchant for tearing around Springfield in all manner of vehicles, only this time things have been considerably moved up a gear (ahem). Every conceivable contraption that you've ever seen is here, from Otto's schoolbus to Lisa's Malibu Stacy car. The game follows a bizarre storyline, kicking off with the appearance of strange surveillance wasps all over town and, after Bart disappears, things take a turn for the surreal.

After a basic tutorial level, the real genius of the game strikes home. Along with a frantically paced driving game, you get the opportunity to get out of your vehicle and explore Springfield on foot. The whole town. Anywhere you like.

Not unlike another famous driving/running/exploring title, violence is at the forefront of the game's third-person aspect. Players can attack and smash any nearby people or objects, and hijack passing vehicles. Springfield is faithfully recreated here - you'll instantly recognise all the locations that serve as backdrops for the mission-based tasks, which mostly involve beating the clock or collecting items in a set time.

The humour is perfectly captured here, with plenty of in-jokes and characteristic dialogue. Along with controlling Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Apu, practically every Simpsons character ever created is here, and all play an integral part in the story. All the original actors do the voice-overs too, which adds to the authenticity.

As with all platformers, collecting things is the Krusty Burger order of the day, and amassing hordes of gold coins will let you purchase new cars and outfits relating to each character. Look out for the sets of collectors packs too, which, when completed, give access to bonus games and nuggets of real episodes. All very interesting for comic book store guys and the like.

After a while some of the driving missions feel a bit samey, and repeating a failed task can be more boring than one of Skinner's lessons. The camera is a bit limited on the platform side of the game too, often forcing you to take a blind leap of faith into unseen areas, but apart from that, Hit & Run is a tidy little game that finally does a great licence justice.

Power
Fluid animation and character modelling means Xbox works reasonably hard.

Style
The whole of Springfield looks gorgeous and the in-game humour really is spot on.

Immersion
Immediately accessible and with constant saves you can pick it up and play any time.

Lifespan
It'll take ages to find and unlock everything, and huge levels mean you'll keep coming back for more.

Overall Think GTA3 meets Burnout 2 all wrapped up in a Simpsons fan-fest package. As Mr Bums would say, "Exccccellllent!"

1. It's a decent Simpsons game!
2. Great atmosphere
3. Tons of extras

1. Missions can get a bit repetitive
2. Awkward camera in third-person