acing games are like Kryptonite for me. They seem to suck away all my gaming ability until mere scraps of talent remain, leaving me as helpless as a soft, downy kitten. Need For Speed: Underground crushed me like a squirrel on the interstate (wow, I’m all about metaphors today!), but I had a great time as it did.

While racing is my personal weak spot, most driving fans will find the challenge level to be just right. The ability to change the difficulty before a race is a nice touch, and absolutely essential for lamewads like me. I was really impressed with the lifelike aggression of the AI drivers; they tended to get a little cranky when I ran them into walls and retaliate. More impressive still are the graphics and sensation of speed. The lighting engine lends the sprawling city an incredibly realistic look. At high speeds, the backgrounds begin to blur slightly, enhancing the already-significant sense of speed. Barreling down a busy street at 120 mph made my heart race and palms sweat.

Almost as much fun as the actual races is the customization of your vehicles. You’ll spend nearly as much time picking out vinyl tears for your car doors as you will racing. Of course, since tricking out your car earns you style points, there’s a reason to spend so much time decorating.

As one who drives a Toyota and has never been interested in cars, I had a great time with this game. Those who enjoy racing will be in gearhead heaven.  

ANDY MCNAMARA   9.25 It is such a shame that the Xbox version doesn’t support online play like the PS2 version, because Need For Speed: Underground kicks it like few others. Despite that one major problem, this version of Need For Speed is just as gorgeous and engrossing as any other, if not more so. In total, there are over a 100 different races for you to defeat, and if you are looking for a way to prolong the experience, playing the game on the most difficult level actually is pretty challenging (even if most races are lost by running into traffic). Add the great single-player experience and the car modifying options, and Underground really packs a punch (even without online play). Customizing your car is almost a game in itself. I seriously spent hour after hour just checking out different combinations of paints, decals, and vinyl. If you love racing or just cars in general, you absolutely, positively must check out Underground.