Ahh, those good ole days of yellowed, railed track pieces spreading out across the room, with tiny, detailed cars attaining speeds enough to defy gravity.

Bask in the warmth of those days, and then tuck them safely away – the world of Hot Wheels has changed drastically. No longer are the ramps molded pieces of plastic, though in some ways molded pieces of plastic help form the world.

Hot Wheels Interactive World Race is a PC release from THQ and Climax Studios and begins with great promise – almost in a Twilight Zone mood. Your vehicle is a unique machine, equipped with boosters and a special brand of go-juice known as Nitrox2. As for the racing world … the tracks take place in a different dimension, though they seemingly start in the real world on a piece of road known as Highway 35.

From stylized cartoon graphics to lushly rendered three-dimensional worlds, World Race would be the Hot Wheels fans dream come true, if not for some serious false starts.

The control elements leave a lot to be desired. There is no in-game options menu for controls. You have to configure them all before starting the game. And while you may have a gamepad plugged in, and the game will recognize it, it does not break down the control elements as it does for the keyboard.

Ok, so it is primarily a keyboard-driven game. That can be worked with.

Oh-oh, little problem there. Configuring the keyboard controls is not that easy. You can’t select your control elements but rather have to select from a drop-down menu of elements. Say you want to use the control key for acceleration – great, except that only the left control key works, not the right one. And if you go with the default steering controls (A and D, there appears to be no option to use the arrow keys), you suddenly are putting the majority of the game’s controls in one hand.

The game starts out with an intro tune by Smashmouth, and then devolves into a stylistic elevator/bouncy arcade score that may fit the game, but steals from the promise first presented.

Graphically this game does look terrific. The courses still have rails and jumps and improbably twists and turns. The environments are lush and richly textured, and the cars are a little futuristic, but built with one thing in mind – speed.

There are three ways to play the game: challenge, single and multiplayer. The challenge is a series of progressively harder (well, so they would have you believe) set requirements, which will help you realize the aspects of racing and prepare you for the challenge of the single-player game.

The latter is further defined by quick race, time trials and league options. In league, you start in the rookie league and work through a series of races, earning points to advance.

The tracks have power-ups which will allow you to fill your meter for Nitrox2, and it will also help you unlock shortcuts, which may mean the difference between winning and losing a race.

In addition, there are 35 cars to choose from, and five teams to be a part of in the single-player game.

With all that background, the idea becomes elementary, master the race course and become the best of the best.

Hot Wheels World Race is a nice little nostalgic trip for those who fondly remember the days of Hot Wheels – in name only. It may be branded as such, but when it comes down to it, this is a rather ordinary race vehicle more suited to younger players than the more serious PC race fan. The game has some fun, and some excitement, to be sure, and it certainly looks good, but it is not one of the best racing vehicles on the market.

This game is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7.5

Once the race launches, the action is quickly paced and seamless.

Graphics: 7.8

This game looks very good. The environments are rich and lush, and the arcade elements are bright and colorful.

Sound: 6.5

It starts out promising, then heads down the audio path of the ordinary and typical.

Difficulty: Easy

There is not much to this game. While there are some jumps and such to hit, most of the challenge comes in getting comfortable with the controls.

Concept: 6.5

The game has many similarities to the Hot Wheels franchise, which is a good thing. But when you put this up against other racing games, it comes out as average at best. The control elements of this game really need to be reworked.

Multiplayer: 7

Go head-to-head with your friends on the same machine. The game will support up to two players, but you will have to navigate around the control set-up and only so many hands will fit on a keyboard.

Overall: 7

The game has numerous pitfalls, and is an average racing vehicle at best. Hot Wheels World Race is a nice piece of eye candy, with lushly textured graphics. However, while this may appeal to the younger set of racing enthusiasts, veteran rack fans may wish to steer clear.