• Kart racing with the Mario Brothers.
• Collect power-ups and nonlethal weapons to get ahead.
• New set of courses and racers.
• Slick 3-D graphics.
• For 1 to 4 players.

.co.uk Review ------------- Mario Kart 64, one of the first games released for the Nintendo 64 platform, is an updated translation of the very popular Super Mario Kart for the Super NES (SNES). While the game clearly takes full advantage of the graphic power and speed of the N64, a few components that made the original so compelling have been left out of this release. Still, Nintendo's expertise at sucking players into the game world is strongly evident, and Mario Kart 64 offers enough challenges to keep players (especially casual gamers) entertained. Placing a familiar Nintendo personality behind the wheel of a sputtering kart powered by a 50, 100, or 150 cc engine, the game lets players race up to four of Nintendo's lovable characters on a variety of well-designed tracks. Because karts lack the power and speed of race cars, drivers must focus on collecting power-ups and non-lethal weapons rather than negotiating hairpin turns on two wheels. Grabbing and using on-track items is the heart of the game's fun: a strategically placed banana peel sends the unlucky victim into a spin, nailing an nent with a turtle shell launches their vehicle skyward and a rocket provides a quick boost to near-breakneck speeds, if only for a moment. The multiplayer mode provides enormously chaotic fun for up to four players--flip it on at a party and watch the guests congregate around the screen. --Eric Twelker Manufacturer's Description -------------------------- Put the pedal to the metal in this worthy successor to that Super NES classic, Super Mario Kart. Mario Kart 64 boasts great graphics, tons of unique power-ups and a stunning 3-D version of the legendary Battle Mode. Great control--a trademark of all games from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto--will bring you back time and time again for free-wheeling fun. Mario Kart 64 races eight familiar faces, including Mario, Bowser and Yoshi, on four progressively tougher four-track circuits. Wide curves and gentle banks mark the Mushroom Cup tracks. Your commute gets notably tougher on the Flower Cup, though. You'll have to dodge semis rumbling on Toad's Turnpike and bounding boulders on fog-bound Choco ain. Star Cup tracks range from the icy surfaces of Set Land to the lava lakes of Bowser's Castle. The true test of karting competence, though, comes on the four tracks in Special Cup. Zip through the dark caves and green hillsides of Donkey Kong's Jungle Parkway, cling to the sheer cliffs of Yoshi Valley and hustle over haunted Banshee Boardwalk before tackling the longest track in the game: neon-lit Rainbow Road. Mario Kart 64 offers two camera angles and three engine sizes: 50cc, 100cc and 150cc. You can gain even more speed by mastering the power slide technique or grabbing Super Star power-ups. Each kart has distinctive handling, acceleration and top speed capabilities. Light karts like Princess's smoothly steer through tight corners, but run the constant risk of getting flattened by heavy karts like Donkey Kong's. Shells that you fire at rival racers, bananas that make them skid out and lightning bolts that make 'em small and very slow are just a few of the game's unique power-ups.