Mascot-filled kart-racing games are nothing new. So far we've driven the strange worlds of Crash Bandicoot, toured the tracks of the Mushroom Kingdom and even taken a spin around the Walt Disney World theme park. Though each of these racers have had their own unique twists, few have ventured off the asphalt (with the exception of WDW Magical Quest Racing, which featured water-based courses). This is where Freaky Flyers swoops in and takes kart-racing to new heights. However, it doesn't take long to realize that a few key fundamentals remain grounded.

The style of Freaky Flyers is firmly rooted in classic cartoon styles, which means you'll run into nearly every cliche' imaginable from the hard-nosed German flight ace Traci Torpedoes to the dumb-as-a-rock, yet dashing and likeable Johnny Turbine. It's painfully clear that the developers are trying to make the game humorous. This isn't a bad thing, especially when you consider the history of the genre. However, a majority of the game's jokes feel forced, much like those found in Postal 2 (only without the suck and sophomoric humor). It's never a good sign when your first reaction to a joke is a wince instead of a laugh.

Overall the game looks good, especially when compared to other games in its genre. It's nothing too impressive, but the cartoon style is enjoyable. Environments are really big and full of life. There are even times when I opted to just fly around and see the sights. All of this life does come at a price though, namely in regards to the game's frame rate, which is choppy at best. This only helps to detract from the game's otherwise enjoyable visuals and can, at times, get to the point where you simply want to turn off the game. This is especially true during two-player games.

Audio is about as stable as the frame rate, which isn't good. Character voices are good, but get really old, really fast. This is especially true when it comes to the game's over-the-top announcer. Music is generally good, albeit a little crazy at times, and fits the game well. Perhaps too well at times, as you'll find out once you check out the mini-games. I enjoy lyrics in game music sometimes, but is there really a need for them to describe the mini-game to you as you play it?

Kart-based racers follow a very simple premise. Choose your character and race through a themed course. Freaky Flyers is no different; you choose from a selection of unique characters and race through several themed-courses like the Old West, Transylvania, the Middle East and gang-land Chicago. Very simple, very fun... well sometimes.

The heart of the game is the somewhat enjoyable Story mode, although I use the word 'story' loosely since it basically serves as a means of getting you from Race A to Race B. After racing on a course, you can then play it at any time in the Arcade mode. The game also offers a small selection of mini-games, which actually turn out to be some of the more enjoyable aspects of the game. As you progress through tracks, you will also be presented with a series of six secondary objectives. Completing these tasks isn't vital to winning the race, but they certainly help. For example, shooting a bull in one level will cause a stampede that unlocks a shortcut through the track. Completing tasks will also help unlock power-ups, such as a set of speed boost rings that appear after taking out a pirate ship in the Caribbean level.

Weighing in at eight courses, Freaky Flyers won't take long to complete. The game follows a nice sloping difficulty curve, which should keep you busy depending on how good you are at kart-racing games. The game does have more than its fair-share of frustrating moments, most of which have something to do with trying to complete secondary tasks. For example, during the pirate ship objective, taking out all the guns can be a real pain.

Aside from featuring planes instead of ground-based vehicles, Freaky Flyers also give you the chance to shoot at your opponents with a machine gun during races. Though its main purpose is for interaction with your environment, it's always fun to shoot down the guy in first place and it offers something different. The game also offers a wide selection of power-ups to help make your opponent's flight a rocky one. Picking up power-ups awards you with one of several weapons like homing missiles, missiles, floating mines and shields.

Considering you're flying instead of driving, you would expect a little more leeway in terms of course design and flying. This isn't the case with Freaky Flyers and turns out to be the game's downfall. Even without the shaky frame rate, the game is sluggishly slow and boring. The fact that planes fly also seems to have escaped the designers since the game is amazingly two-dimensional. You may be flying a plane, but it moves like a ground-based kart.

All things considered, Freaky Flyers is an enjoyable, although average kart-racer. If you're fanatical about the genre, then it's a good pick-up. Otherwise, you might do better and wait for something like Crash Nitro Kart.