Roadsters

My two kids (9 and 11) were playing Roadsters in the car, and I heard from the back seat 'Eat my dust!', 'Oh no, road cones' with gales of laughter as they dodged police cars. Later I watched my younger son knock other cars of the road to the tune of 'Ouch! Out of my way'. There is definitely an element of bumper cars in kids' enjoyment of this game.

Start by selecting one of 6 languages - English, French, German, Italian, Dutch or Spanish for game play. A password allows the game to be saved and restarted. Then choose Tania, Cloe or Marvin as the driver. The game objective is to finish the league by winning races around the world. Pick a race from the flashing locations on the world map - if they aren't flashing, you can't afford to enter them yet.

The race track looks much the same for all the locations but the backdrop changes from different cityscapes to mountains or forest scenes. Races are tough on your car, and it needs repairs in between. Win enough prizes and you can afford upgrades like super brakes and tires, a radar jammer, a turbo-boost or speed-ups. This increases the odds of winning more races.

Driving requires a right thumb on the A button to accelerate and a left thumb manipulating the direction controls. Theoretically you should also brake occasionally. Dodge between cars, and try to avoid road cones, trees and speed cops. They are poised to hand out tickets and heavy fines, and are very persistent. Keep an eye on the direction arrow at the top of the screen, to anticipate turns.

If you are confident of your skill, you can bet on race performance, and possibly increase winnings. I was a little concerned about the kids' reaction to gambling until my 9 year old stated seriously after half an hour of play 'You shouldn't bet. You can lose your car'. In fact the car is also impounded if too many races are lost and repair costs exceed prizes, so there are some good financial lessons in the game.

Roadsters is entertaining. This is not a title that will absorb kids for long periods of time like the Pokemon games or Link's Awakening, but it is one that I expect them to return to periodically, for more bumper car action!