This is by far the best LEGO game I've yet seen for a console. Lego Racers 2 embodies the spirit of LEGO play, which is to build, create and learn. Other LEGO games have come close, and encouraged kids' puzzle skills or entertained them with environments that looked like they were built with LEGO bricks, but Lego Racers 2 really encourages the kind of active play that make LEGO toys fun in the first place.

Calling this a racing game is probably selling it a bit short, because even though you do take on racing challenges, they fit into a context of free-roaming adventure in several LEGO worlds. You'll drive around in these settings, and be rewarded by some fantastic graphics! All the little touches PS2 is capable of are here, with water and weather effects and great lighting. The sound is excellent, from actual in-game music to racing noises and weapon effects. When you talk to other characters, the voice-over is just mumbling, with subtitles, but it's appropriate somehow. Sure, the look throughout Lego Racers 2 is very young, but not so much that it will turn off LEGO gurus pushing double digits agewise. The visual quality is only as good as the content, and you have the chance to design not only your vehicle but the look of your rider, making every little cut-scene or conversation with another racer a joy. I made a little Eskimo with sunglasses and bright pants, and never failed to laugh when he came on screen. That, and the fact that he was driving a milk truck, resulted in pure comedy.

The last bit of detail I find impressive about Lego Racers 2 is the damage your vehicle will take during the race. Of course, since you're made of LEGO bricks, hits from enemies or weapons will send bricks flying. There probably are a limited number of ways the car can take damage, but I stopped counting after 4 or 5. So, the effect is awesome, and in the tougher races you may end up crossing the finish line on your axle shaft.

Don't expect to just rush in and jump on the racetrack, kiddies! This is some percentage racing and some percentage adventure, in that you'll motor around the country looking for a challenge and then drop into race mode for some action. If you played the first game, don't come in with preconceived notions, since the development team is totally different. For those coming at the series for the first time, there's plenty of great racing and adventure, set in worlds that match themes of the LEGO sets in stores, like Life on Mars, Dino Island and Arctic. Of course, my little Eskimo guy fit in well in the Arctic, but he was a little out of place in prehistoric times. Come to think of it, wouldn't my milk truck be out of place there also? When exploring, you'll see an arrow guiding you to the next objective, but you're free to explore as much as you like before going to the next race. You might even discover one of the Bonus Games, like a little taxi service in Sandy Bay. These can be played over again without going through the story. Enjoying the scenery is fine, but what about the racing action?!

Races look as good as the rest of the game, with some slowdown in areas where every car decides to use its weapon at the same time. Vehicles come in looking so different, small and large, drawn from any one of the different LEGO theme areas you'll race in. And the fact that you can motor around in adventure mode on the same turf you'll race for is really cool. The transition from world to track is seamless, once you lay down a challenge. This really negates the need for practice on tracks, but you can always go back to race tracks with a friend, or as a one-time run after you open up new worlds. The visual cues you'll find in the race are going to be familiar to racing fans, with little bubbles that contain powerups scattered at regular intervals through the track. Secret areas are often key to winning, so keep an eye out for those. One of the tricky things about more detail and the power to model complex environments is running into things. Unlike the racing games that might have had 2D backgrounds and a few trees or obstacles littered around, if you see something in the scenery, you gotta avoid it. It was a little frustrating getting stuck on things and grinding to a dead stop, especially since there's a very slim margin to winning with catch-up enabled.

Aside from standard racing modes or multiplayer racing, Lego Racers 2 features a great editor for building the perfect ride. It's not an exaggeration to say that you could while away hours working on what kind of car you want to race in, just as you might on the floor with a real LEGO set. You can pick premade cars like my milk truck or take a car and break it down or even start with the wheels and build up. If you're not racing in a supercool car, you've only yourself to blame, kiddo! This and designing the driver by mixing lots of stock heads, bodies and legs make Lego Racers 2 as much fun as its physical counterpart.

Several settings help handicap Lego Racers 2 for less strenuous competition, including an option to disable catch-up and the overall difficulty setting. You can generally win if you nail powerups and use them with prejudice, but falling behind even at first can mean defeat. It's especially demoralizing when you're just racing 1 other character and end up driving all by yourself, knowing you're gonna lose. Car choice doesn't seem to make a huge difference in performance, but my impression was that bigger, more intricate vehicles were slower. Of course, they are also tougher against attacks since they have more bricks. A special Brick Boost is possible when you pick up enough bricks along the track, and any boost is a welcome addition. Excellent weapons mean you can dish it out like a mutha, but be prepared to take it. You can even choose to race a harder version of the areas you've completed, but you don't have to do this to win. A nice addition for the real LEGO jockeys out there!

Learning to use the editor for cars and characters couldn't be easier. You pick pieces, rotate them and drop them in place. It would have been nice to have the ability to go through and swap out pieces once your car was fully assembled, but you'll instead need to take it apart to get at and change a piece. Maybe the next evolution, eh? The driving controls are equally simple to master, complete with reverse gear for those times when you encounter a piece of scenery at high speed. Using the powerups is a bit strange at times, since Lego Racers 2 uses the 'cycle-through' concept, kind of like pulling the handle on a slot machine. It will eventually settle on a weapon that you can use, but if you see one first that you really, really want and you can time your button press, it will be in your arsenal at your disposal. Even in the early stages, some powerups are placed in precarious places, making the potential for loss of speed and crack-ups higher. So, from a strategy side, you'll have to decide whether you want to focus on speed or beat up the competition. Many times, your car's potential will determine the best strategy.

This racing engine is very solid, and it's no wonder when you see Rollcage among the developer's credits. Some things that we might have groused about in Rollcage are still present in Lego Racers 2 , such as a floaty feeling on jumps or attacks and physics that seem like they can't always decide which way to jump. But, in this case, it doesn't damage the experience since that kart-racing appeal is factored in for a younger crowd. And, the overall quality of the graphics and the responsiveness of the cars work together to make for a solid gaming experience. The reason I like Lego Racers 2 as much as I do comes from its appeal as a PLAY experience. This is a great example of a game crossing the line and being a virtual analog to what kids are working out on their bedroom floors. Sure, you might say racing makes up the bulk of the game, but the identity of the kid (embodied in the car and character she designed) is always at the center of the story. And if that isn't the classic LEGO experience, I don't know what is.