I’m a bit of a cynical bugger, so imagine my opinion then when Mario Kart arrived with the Wii Wheel attachment. Now, I know most of the time reviewers and journalists in general have to remain unbiased and non-controversial until the bitter end, but this is Nintendo. Most of us have grown up with Mario and the countless high quality games (as well as the occasional duffer) they have given us over the decades. Finally Mario Kart hits the Wii and gives us reason to act like kids again…. or does it?

The one thing this franchise has never really had is a story, so we can negate this option straight away. It’s the series we’ve grown up with and they layout is similar in most respects. Three different engine sizes, eight cups and a mixture of old and new tracks. Everything a grown man needs to keep him revving and shelling until the early morn. To say it’s exactly the same would be wrong, however, as there are some new tweaks and changes on display here, but more on those later.

The graphics are as bright and colourful as they’ve always been, with a perfect balance of useful organisation and epic grandeur. The Wii specific tracks do look great and you can’t be blamed for spending the first few races admiring the scenery. The revamped retro tracks have also seen a fresh overhaul and look a lot better for it. The only niggle would be the Game Cube circuits not looking too much different, but then it was the Wii’s predecessor, so it’s mostly understandable.

Ninty have always had this knack of creating music to get into your head and bash around a bit until it takes a good night’s sleep to get rid of it - and this game is full of them. Sure, you’ll be fine as the race starts and it’s always just as you least expect it….second lap over and I’m still ok.. BAM!!!! do-dee-do-doo… and that’s you captured by the Nintendo music police. All the plinks and plonks from previous games are also here, but the defining moment is when you first hear the Ghost Valley and Mario Circuit music from the SNES days, as it just whisks you way back to the early 90’s again (not showing your age then, are you… old git - Ed.).

There are now motorbikes included for the first time, as well as the ability to do stunts and tricks when hitting jumps or half pipes. If you can imagine Tony Hawk has been moonlighting as an Italian plumber you get a rough idea of the action. Some may say it’s a gimmick, but these two new qualities add an extra zing into MK’s step. At 50cc the bikes are fine, but once you hit 150 you’d better bring your game to the table or you’re in trouble.

The collaboration of old and new spills over to the multiplayer section of the game as well, and if the single player didn’t give you an old skool throwback, this will send you back to New Kids on the Block and Rubik’s Cubes. The Super Famicom battle arenas are back (well, one of them anyway) but it’s great to see it. Playing on your own gives you a different slant on the game as you’re part of a team trying to score more points than the opposition; which I have to say, works pretty well. The only downside is in the way the balloon mode plays. It does still have its standard structure in place, but instead of game over after three direct hits, it simply re-spawns you to carry on until the end. Rose tinted complaint or genuine grievance, you decide. The Coin Runners mode is self explanatory, with the objective being to collect the most coins in the allotted time, by fair means or foul. This, along with the good old versus race mode leaves offline nights in taken care of.

It’s when you look into the multiplayer online area that things really start to pick up. As well as your Grand Prix and battle modes, Mario Kart manages to do a Forza Motorsport by tempting us with time restricted competitions to enter, as well as a fastest lap leader board big enough to drop jaws, with the ability to download ghosts of really great players in the hope of one day being their equal…or better.

This may well answer a lot of the questions about Mari Kart Wii, but there’s still an important one remaining: How the hell does it play with the Wii control system? Well, the answer is really, REALLY well. The first time we saw a wheel attachment was on the distinctly average GT and Monster Truck games at, or around, launch. These didn’t give us much hope for Wii based virtual driving, however. Quite what the difference is with Mario Kart I have no idea, but everything is just so effective, simple and accessible using the wheel. Power slides, weapons, accelerator all within touching distance and laid out nicely. To say I’m pleasantly surprised is a huge understatement, but thank God it‘s the case.

Ninty stalwarts are fully catered for too with full Game Cube controller support, and for those in-between who’ve been looking for a reason to buy a classic controller (other than to play on Virtual Console) then this is your chance.

Mario Kart is yet another example of just how sharp and tight the Nintendo games machine really is. It may well have many of the characteristics associated with its older relatives, but it doesn’t matter when they’ve all been so good at producing a great night in - and the Wii version just adds to the reputation. There’s a slight ill feeling in the multiplayer with how they’ve changed it, but it’s minor when you look at the broader scale of things. Pleasing on the eye, catchy on the ears and just a good bit of enjoyment, with perhaps a splash of retro to give it the extra flavour the Ninty faithful crave.

All in all it’s a great title for the Wii, and we expected nothing less. The way it’s managed to bring new things in such as the control system, motorbikes, tricks, online mode and still retain its original identity are most impressive. Now all I need is my eight player online SNES original on the VC and I’m one happy plumber. Fingers crossed.