I remember playing MarioKart on the Super Nintendo (remember the SNES?) in the early 90s and thinking what a fun game it was with excellent graphics, special features and most importantly racing. And the DS version? Excellent! The game features a number of races in different worlds that relate to the Nintendo family of characters (Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Toad etc) and you can opt to race as any available character. The more races and levels you win, the more characters and worlds that you unlock. The levels are very imaginative with plenty of colourful graphics and traps lying in wait if you're not careful. Some of the tracks are easier to win than others, but if you like a challenge, try racing with Bowser who is exceptionally poor when it comes to accelerating. This is great entertainment for adults and children alike and also has a multiplayer facility for others with a DS. If you become tired of racing, there are other challenges such a balloon battle which is my particular favourite. You start with 1 balloon (i.e. life), and you have to blow over the small middle hole of the DS to inflate more balloons - which can be tricky! The most you can hold is 3 balloons (3 lives), and the challenge is to be the last driver standing by bursting opponents balloons. This can be done by driving into the special boxes and releasing heat seeking shells, bananas and bombs, example. All in all, a good value game which provides hours of entertainment.