Anyone debating whether to put a Gamecube on their Christmas list should be persuaded by the latest, and possibly best, in the Mario Kart canon one of the most successful series ever produced. The design is every bit as dreamlike verging on hallucinatory as ever, with winding psychedelic tracks, bizarre characters and bonkers weapons aplenty.
The single player mode has a perfect learning curve and the new reward-based structure extends the games life further than the slightly easy earlier episodes. That said, the game only reaches full potential in multi-player mode. The simple yet effective battle approach is back, and a new feature allows eight players to race simultaneously if you have the necessary equipment (unless youre very rich and very nerdy, you probably dont).
If you ever want to see the outside world again, avoid this game at all costs.