Take one part of Wave Rally, mix in a touch of Arctic Thunder, plunk it into a 4x4 setting and hope there is enough there to lure racing fans.

Guess what? There is, but in spite of the solid graphics, audio and gameplay, Acclaim’s ATV Quad Power Racing 2 is missing something. There is that intangible quality lacking that would definitely send this game over the top. Rather than capture that, it seems as though the developers played it safe when creating this game.

That is not to say that this game is not fun ­ it most certainly is. There was a problem configuring a PS2 wheel to work with the game though, and after numerous efforts to sort through the control options, finally the dual shock controller was used to play the game.

ATV2 has a solid options package. You can attend the ATV Academy to learn the controls and some tricks on your ATV (a portion of the game allows players to score points by performing tricks while riding), or launch into career or single race mode. The Arcade mode challenges players to meet increasingly difficult challenges; Freestyle requires players to score high-flying aerials on an indoor track; you can Challenge the top riders; or in Time Trial, you are pitted against the clock.

Should you do well in Career mode, you can customize a champion season. Of course you can select and generate a rider profile, and by performing well, you will unlock the three bikes that give you a decided edge in racing or freestyle events. The game boasts 15 tracks in five different locations.

Of course you can customize the camera angles to view the action from either near or far.

The control elements have been kept simple, with the directional buttons working in concert with the other game buttons to pull off tricks such as Saran Wrap, Pommel Horse, Super-Man and Surfer Flip. There are approximately 28 tricks that can be performed during a race or freestyle event.

From revving engines to the pounding music, the game has a crisp audio score. The graphical elements are lush and bright and the animation is quite good. This game does have a solid racing experience.

There are times when combining several genres can result in a muddled mess. ATV2 manages to wade through though it fails to deliver a unique experience. This could have been an outstanding game, but while good, it fails to break the barrier into a must-have game. ATV Quad Power Racing 2 will appeal to racing fans and is a nice intro to the genre for those looking to experience a challenging racing vehicle.

This game is rated for Everyone, though it does contain mild lyrics and mild violence.

Gameplay: 7.3
The courses are long and contain some elements that will have you spinning out and losing either your position or time. However, once in a race, the action is seamless and the courses are well designed with jumps and a variety of terrains you must navigate, along with checkpoints that have to be negotiated. The freestyle event has a finite course with a host of obstacle to play off.

Graphics: 7.8
This game looks very good. The animations are solid, and the overall style is bright and colorful.

Sound: 7.4
The audio track is well done, and the tunes of Rollins Band, Godsmack, Box Car Racer, Audiovent, The Reunion Show, Midtown and Bionic Jive keep the flavor and tempo rocking. If there is any setback, it lies in the redundancy of the audio tracks.

Difficulty: Medium
Whether freestyling for points, or racing for records and the thrill of knocking another rider flying from his, or her, machine, the game does offer challenging racing. The control elements are kept relatively simple, so players can roar into action fairly quickly.

Concept: 7
As previously mentioned, this game is a compilation of several alternative style racing programs ­ including Arctic Thunder and Wave Rally. Not exactly original, but it is well done.

Multiplayer: 7
The game will allow two players to compete against one another, and while the other competition is a human, the game doesn’t vary much from the single-player options.

Overall: 7.2
This game features quality graphics and solid game play. There are other racing games that have slightly better looks, or better action/racing adventure, but ATV Quad Power Racing 2 is well done. It just is not the kind of game that will blow racing fans away.