ATV Offroad Fury looks like the love-child of Rockstar's Smuggler's Run and Rainbow Studio's (the developer) Motocross Madness, with maybe a few paternity suits from other offroad racers and motocross games. Weighing in as PlayStation 2's latest offroad racer, Offroad Fury has the hills, valleys and huge levels I liked in Smuggler's Run, but while the cross-country smuggling objectives got a little repetitive, race fans will find all the depth they need in Offroad Fury and more. Wild Wild Racing may have had more detail trackside, but the first thing you'll notice playing Offroad Fury is how there really is no 'trackside.' Busting through a break of trees or powering an impossible jump for a shorter way to the next waypoint is more than possible, it's advisable. Levels are big; once you master the mechanics enough to look up from the track, there's lots of cool stuff mixed in with the bikes, riders and track geography. Bike and rider models are fantastic; choose between male and female, multiple costumes and colors, and over 10 bikes from major companies like Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris and Yamaha. It all looks good.

A refreshing change of pace from the usual techno or 'never-heard-of-you' rocker soundtrack, Offroad Fury pumps out sweet sounds from bands like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Primus and Anthrax. Not only is the sound quality great on DVD, but just about every song rocks hard.

Racing fans really just want to know how the bikes move. Offroad Fury is a dreamy blend of realism and arcade action, with enough gritty detail to satisfy most simulation fans and almost no sacrifice in fun. Here's the breakdown. Each mode, with the exception of Freestyle Stunt Competition and Pro Career, can be raced 3 different ways. What's really going on here is a 'mode within a mode.' Pick a race mode like Cross Country Enduro, which is all about going from waypoint to waypoint against a field of competitors. You can choose Practice for a chance to check out the track and get a feel for the landscape, Single Race to try it full-on against other racers, or Lap Attack to compete against a ghost image of your own best time. Each of these three can be played in all but a few of the main race modes, with Pro Career being out on its own. Freestyle Stunt Competition is what Tony Hawk would do with a 250cc skateboard, and is the only pure trick mode. Pulling off tricks is simple, without the complicated button or stick combinations you might expect. The real trick is hitting jumps right and making a solid landing. Maxxis Nationals Mode offers even more tracks than Enduro, and Stadium Supercross put you in a confined space that tests your driving and trick skills. Pro Career is the place to open up locked tracks and bikes, and is a strict track-by-track competition.

An overview doesn't give justice to the depth of Offroad Fury, but take a look at the Waypoint Editor for Enduro Mode if you have any doubt. Instead of a track editor, you get to place waypoints through any one of the Enduro tracks, effectively creating a custom route for riders. Up to 5 different tracks can be saved and raced as an alternative to the default track. Another element that really makes the game fun is bike selection and modification. Things like suspension and spring action make a huge difference when landing jumps, and braking, steering or gearing can be changed to suit almost any taste. Finally, it's possible to hook up the Multitap and race with up to 4 players. The game runs fine, but one beef I had in multiplayer is that the default view leaves bike and rider pretty small; splitting the screen makes everything smaller, so most folks will want to use a first-person view for 2 or more players.

Overall, Offroad Fury is a great racer, with a good balance between realism and fantasy. Bikes handle well, and reflect the changes in specs or custom modifications on the track. Jumping is handled with a special move that isn't hard to learn, but takes time to work into your game. Landing is tricky, not only for how you land but where you land. All the bumps and jumps look fun at first, but then you land on the face of a jump or at the top of a bump. The result is loss of critical time, and usually losing that race. The AI racers aren't always much better than you at this, and it's possible to learn from the good ones. But, as a bit of warning, if you're looking for a straightforward dirt-track racer, Offroad Fury will eat you up and spit you out. The science of learning when and how to take big air is what you need to win in this game.

To elaborate on things said before, the garage options for Offroad Fury are excellent. Some bikes are balanced toward speed or acceleration, and all have variations in how stable (ATVs are by definition kinda 'tippy') they are and how much grip they've got on the road. Moving things around is essential in Pro Career Mode, since you don't have the option to change bikes or riders. Each track is different in what it demands from you, and although each person's approach may be different, finishing the game without some adjustment is probably not realistic. Jumps in Offroad Fury aren't just about going fast, but also require that you learn to 'preload' suspension. Sometimes, you don't want a preload, but if the right conditions exist, you see a green meter. Pulling back on the left analog stick and then pushing forward quickly before the bike leaves the ground creates a supercharged jump. You even see the meter go partially red to indicate how successful you were on the preload. Using this is critical to winning, but knowing how is not as important as knowing when. Otherwise, controls are simple, much like any other racer. Tricks are done in mid-air by pressing either the triangle or circle button and pushing with the analog stick. Animations for the tricks are excellent, and although everything is automatic, don't forget to balance the bike in the air for landing. Landing on the back tires after a no-hand trick causes an instant crash, as it should. During the excellent Training Mode, Offroad Fury teaches you the basics of take-off and landing, but fine tuning is something else completely, especially when you throw in tricks.

ATV Offroad Fury is a mainstream motocross racer, something I wouldn't have thought possible before now. Not everyone will love the challenge of timing jumps and mastering these devilishly hard courses, but nobody could resist the gorgeous graphics and solid control. If you like racing and own a PS2, you owe yourself a look at this game! It's not instant gratification, by any means, but spending time with Offroad Fury is really satisfying. Even though the AI sometimes feels impossible, it's mostly because they aren't tanking on jumps like you are, and do a better job navigating the track. Even after you master timing and start winning, Offroad Fury is still an adrenaline rush and will keep you coming back for more.