Format: Advance
Genre: Kart Racing
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

This entry into the venerable Mario Kart franchise looks similar to its SNES predecessor, except for the notable exception of the character sprites, which are more 3d-looking, and are animated better. The rest of the game is bright and colorful, especially the backgrounds. The track/non track areas are easy to differentiate, which is always a plus for a Mode 7 racer. On the whole, this is a nice looking but not knock-your-underwear-off game that shows off the GBA hardware a bit.

The music is very reminiscent of the tunes from the original, which I'm sure was an intent of the author. In fact, half of the melodies are from the original, perhaps adding a little nostalgia to the package. The sound effects are typical Mario Kart fare, except for the voice acting, which is of higher quality than anything heard in the original. Not a real creative sound package, but it gets the job done, and is never either annoying or overly impressive.

The kart handling is noticably tighter, and power sliding, which is performed by holding down the r-shift button, is now a requirement for defeating the 150cc AI. These minor differences aside, anyone who has formerly played a Mario Kart title will feel at home here. The new tracks are also better designed than the original's, so while there's not much innovation, there is some quality substance.

This title has a lot to enjoy; detailed, colorful graphics, some nostalgic music, and a whopping 50 tracks, half of which are from the original. There are also link modes, including the famous battle mode, which hasn't lost anything in this iteration of the franchise. All in all, a very solid kart racing title, but not something to break the bank and phone home about.