Hot Wheels has come a long way from the die-cast model cars and snap-together orange plastic track of olden days. There have been countless games on many platforms since the advent of under-the-telly consoles and they just keep getting faster, louder, more explosive and - thankfully - better as time goes by.

The brand's entry into the late 2007 market goes by the name Hot Wheels: Beat That! Sounds like a challenge, and it is just that. Take our word for it; just 'cos it may not get the sa ... more >>

Hot Wheels has come a long way from the die-cast model cars and snap-together orange plastic track of olden days. There have been countless games on many platforms since the advent of under-the-telly consoles and they just keep getting faster, louder, more explosive and - thankfully - better as time goes by.

The brand's entry into the late 2007 market goes by the name Hot Wheels: Beat That! Sounds like a challenge, and it is just that. Take our word for it; just 'cos it may not get the same kind of exposure as certain other racing games in the build up to Xmas 2007 doesn't mean it's not worth a look. It'll test your skills just as well as any other similarly-built racer, from Micro Machines to FlatOut, and will provide just as many thrills and spills. There are several game modes to test you: Quick Race invites you to a three-lap race to the finish line; in Eliminator, there's a countdown timer, and when it reaches zero, the car in last place is out of the race. Make sure it's not you! Rampage invites you to hit as many cars as you can with rockets before time expires; and Tournament lets you play through a series of races and earn points to win the tournament.

There are many bonuses and pick-ups available while racing, such as Flame Points. Collect these to unlock new cars and events. Some pick-ups give you random weapons which can be supercharged. Drafting and drifting fills up the power bar and enables you to hit opponents with certain weapons that will cause them to lose points which you can pick up in the form of crystals that appear on the track. All you have to do is drive over them to boost your power bar.

Hot Wheels: Beat That! is a combat racer that begs to taken seriously and comes highly recommended. It may not be the most graphic and brutal game of its kind, but it's really good fun, and you can't beat that! << less