OVERALL RATING		3.0
Presentation		3.0
Control		2.5
Gameplay		3.0
Fun factor		3.0
User Rating		2.5

A title like Car Racer 2 leaves little to the imagination of what this mobile game is about. Sure, on the surface it’s a racing game with different cars to unlock, tune-up parts to buy and different tracks to clear, but under the hood there are a few touches that make this racer a little more unique than your normal starting-line-to-finishing-line experience.

The two modes included are Role Play and Free Play and like most other games, once a track is cleared in the main mode it will be unlocked in the secondary mode. Role Play lets you choose between two characters, Jake or Winona. Each has their own car and own reasons for taking part in the events and even though you pick one character to race with, you can play the other character at any time since the progress of both will be individually saved.

There are 20 tracks or missions if you will (10 per character) because some of these are a little more than just straight up racing. A few will have you picking up hitchhikers from the bus stop or meeting someone before time runs out. Some of these will even be in maze form where you’ll have to figure out the best route to take. There are obstacles throughout the tracks and police units will not hesitate to pull you over while speeding. Other integral parts of the experience include filling up on gas when needed, repairing damage from crashes and picking up money and nitro boosts. The money can be used to upgrade engine, tires or by extra nitro.

Controls are standard for acceleration and steering but a few of the missions will test your skills in having to drive backwards. When in a collision, there is a tendency to be thrown off kilter and many times you wind up driving in circles or skidding aimlessly without being able to regain control for a while. This can be painstakingly frustrating when in one of the timed missions especially when cops keep ramming into you or trying to figure your way out of a maze.

The game has an over-the-top view and most of the illustrations are done in solid colors. Most of the tracks are laid out to zig-zag between points but you get a good overall sense of speed when the pedal is to the metal. Audio consists of police chatter and sirens when in pursuit of your car, plus a crashing sound when in a collision. And trust me, you’ll hear both of these plenty but at least you can turn them off as well as the theme music.

Car Racer 2 has a few good features that change up the normal racing experience. Keeping an eye on gas and actually having to stop and refill while paying for repairs during a race will keep your attention. A few other of the “task” missions will also keep the action fresh. However, you’ll seriously have to deal with concentrating on the controls when colliding, something you can’t really avoid. Besides this frustration, the game is fairly easy and simple in terms of play.