Antz Racing

Antz Racing is a racing game with a difference. Play as characters (Z, Bala, Weaver, Colonel Cutter, Azteca and General Mandible) from the movie Antz in vehicles including a Spinach Leaf, Nutshell, Sardine Tin and Revolver Bullet. I preferred the biodegradable vehicles myself, but suspect the Revolver Bullet has the best aerodynamic properties. There are 5 locations from the movie including the Anthill, the Frozen Pond and Insectopia. The game can be played in 6 languages - English, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Racing controls are similar to most games of this type - left and right arrows turn the vehicle, down brakes it, and the up arrow makes it jump over holes. You need to press the A button to accelerate and keep moving, and the B button to use a bonus (like speed or invincibility) picked up along the track. There are 3 levels of difficulty, Beginner to Pro and two ways to get into the action - a Quick Race lets you pick a seasonal circuit from a flipping calendar and practice; 4 Seasons lets you progress (by winning) through 10 circuits in the order of seasons.

Obstacles include holes, jam and oil spills, and there are bonus items to pick up along the circuits as well as secret short cuts and pieces of a map to be found - the map will show the way to ant heaven, Insectopia. You start the game with a reserve of 3 vehicles, though my son found that to be not enough to get through all his crashes. I found the graphics excellent and the backgrounds as cute as in the movie, but I did need to peer very closely at the Gameboy screen to figure out whether or not my Nutshell was heading in the right direction, and all too often it was not! Overall Antz Racing provides an anthill of fast fun for racing fans of all ages.