I used to have this dream of the perfect driving game. It basically involved driving around in a car, going through traffic, and everything was realistic. I mean, everything looked real. The realism of an 8 year-old kid (that's about where I was at the time) driving a car on a busy freeway would probably look more like Burnout 2. If you liked the freewheeling mayhem of the original Burnout, Burnout 2 is just more of the good stuff we loved last year. For the videophiles out there, one big addition is the support for Progressive Scan, which I see popping up in more games these days. There's no question things look as good or better this time around, with more on screen at any one time and less slowdown present. The crashes are spectacular, easily the high point of any race. The music is pumped-up rock that sometimes wears a bit thin, but it matches the adrenaline level of the visuals perfectly. The sweet sound of horns honking and glass crunching as you push a fellow racer into oncoming traffic will be the real music to your ears as you get into the Burnout 2 vibe.

Racing games sometimes lose interest over time for the simple reason that there are only so many variations to racing down the same set of tracks against the same competitors. Combat racing has upped the ante and made for better replay value, not to mention more elaborate multiplayer modes. But the basic formula of 'race around track...jockey for first place...repeat' hasn't changed much at all over the years. The original Destruction Derby game, if you can remember that far back, was a pretty big hit for just offering a different twist, and off-road racing games or extreme sports racing games mine the same territory. But with Burnout 2, you find a game that not only takes the race to the highway but encourages you to drive like a frickin' maniac! That's right, in this game the way you're going to beat the other racers is by driving against oncoming traffic, cutting people off and skidding around corners. Driving politely will only get you hurt, and nobody ever earned a single point on the 'Burn Meter' by yielding right-of-way.

The breadth of gameplay has increased for Burnout 2. Along with several multiplayer modes, 2 new additions to the game are present. Crash Mode is a series of staged challenges where you to try and cause the most mayhem in one fell swoop. Basically, you launch your vehicle down the road into a pile-up, and when you come to a stop you're judged on how much damage has been done. Watching these scenes play out is hilarious, especially in the 'fly-over' view, presumably from the police helicopter. And speaking of the police, another new mode is Pursuit, where you take on the role of John E. Law and try to knock an offending car off the road. Both of these are available for multiplayer play, and Crash is done as a round-robin for up to 4 players to see who can nail the highest point totals!

In Offensive Driving 101, you'll learn how to master the Dark Arts of driving, before setting out to conquer the world in Championship or Custom Series Championship. Unlocking cars, challenges and courses is more demolition than most derby action ever produces, and there's something very calming about Burnout 2, from a road-rage perspective.

Unlike most racing games that demand precision steering and control, Burnout 2 truly does reward you for crazy, outta-control driving. The more you color outside the lines and break the accepted rules of traffic, the better you'll do here. Sure, there is a learning curve, as you might expect. Crash Mode especially can take some getting used to, since it is strictly a one-shot affair. But, more of this game is easily accessible than not, partly because it encourages serious driving entropy.

Lower-level items worthy of mention include the fact that the engine does a great job of handling the wreck sequences that have been a hallmark of the Burnout series right from the start. Still, it could use some tweaking to be in the realm of more true simulation-style racers. You can argue right back that this is far from a sim-style racer, and I'd agree. But, there are definitely times when experienced racers will feel the limitations of Burnout 2 from a control standpoint. To better assist this crowd, Logitech's GT Force and Driving Force analog, force-feedback steering wheels are fully supported. Playing with these wheels, if you've never had the pleasure, raises Burnout 2 to an entirely new level. Not that the wheel completely eradicates problems, but it glosses them over to a large extent. Other neat things you'll find in the game that add to the excitement are long, detailed tracks with plenty of destructible objects and road hazards galore. It is a testament to the power of the PS2 that so much destruction can be handled so transparently.

Nobody hates stupid drivers more than me, and even though I'm not frequently subject to road rage, I'm usually the target of it at least once a week commuting back and forth to work. So, I can easily tap into the berzerker rage necessary to compete in Burnout 2. I would certainly nominate this game as a great release vehicle for the kind of anger buildup we sometimes have behind the wheel, but many parents may take the uninformed view that this is some kind of violent driving 'tutorial.' I can't say this is what I'd want my 16-year old son modeling his driving behavior on, but those of us who know the rules of the road will see the fun for what it is: Harmless.