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Genre: Sports (racing)

Format: DVD

Developer: Razorworks

Mac Port: Zonic

Mac Publisher: Feral Interactive

Minimum System Requirements: 800MHz G3, Mac OS X v10.2, 256MB RAM, 32MB 3D graphics acceleration, 1.3GB free hard disk space

Review Computer: 1GHz Powerbook G4 12" 768MB RAM, 32MB GeForce FX Go 5200

Network Feature: No

3D Support: Required

Price: $30.00

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

Availability: Now

Official Website: [url=http://www.fordracing2.com]http://www.fordracing2.com[/url]

I was not exactly thrilled when I received Ford Racing 2 in my campus mailbox. Letters from my girlfriend, paychecks, tuition bills...heck, MTX Mototrax; anything but Ford Racing 2. I am currently car-less and license-less, and while I can appreciate the art of the '67 Mustang just as much as any hot-blooded male, a whole DVD dedicated to racing Ford cars just didn't really strike my fancy. Besides, having logged my fair share of time in Tokyo Extreme Racer, Gran Turismo 3, and, uh, F-Zero, the idea of racing anything that's not covered in ridiculous decals or a hovercraft capable of going over 400mph just doesn't excite my imagination.

My friends were equally thrilled. "Yeah," they yelled in sardonic excitement. This excitement lasted right up until I loaded up a Quick Race and had my unskilled ass handed to me by some car that looked older than my standard-issue dorm mattress. Right about then, my girlfriend called (she's still in Scotland, if anyone cares) and I commented to said friends that there was certainly no way I was going to skip out on her call (and most likely incite a long-distance 30 minutes at five cents a minute burning away her precious calling card Call of Wrath) for Ford Racing 2. This, I have decided, is to be the epitaph for Ford Racing 2. While it could be good—and better, perhaps, for someone more in the know than I—it will never be good enough for me to risk incurring the wrath of a scorned girlfriend. Some games are—Metal Gear Solid 3, for one, or Tumiki Fighters if played at just the right time—but Ford Racing 2 sure as hell isn't.

It is, as you would probably expect, a racing game. However, as far as racing games go, the set of available game options is remarkably shallow. There are no career modes available, sparse multiplayer options (none of which, apparently, involve LAN support—Ford Racing 2 is limited to split-screen), and virtually no customization options available. Ford Racing 2's main game mode consists of a series of challenges ranging from time trials and other methods of testing your driving prowess to a full on race. Each challenge gives you one of 32 different Ford cars and places you on one of 16 different tracks; complete the challenge successfully and you unlock the car and the track for use in the game's custom race mode, which lets you play with your unlocked toys to your heart's content. The racing, thankfully, is executed about as well as I could imagine it to be. The game lets you customize a little bit about how you handle the car—automatic or manual transmission and togglable Traction Control System and Anti-lock Braking System, for example—and the racing itself is as accurate as I could imagine given my limited driving experience. It's worth noting that the control is a little bit clumsy on the keyboard, and any serious Ford racers would do well to invest in a steering wheel setup.

Ford Racing 2 isn't nearly as visually demanding as most console racing games, fortunately, and it runs splendidly on my 1GHz PowerBook G4. The tracks themselves range from urban environments and boring race tracks to lazier bayside drives reminiscent of the San Francisco Bay Area to the occasional off-road track. While the track designers definitely left each track with its own visual appeal, it feels more like they just kind of cobbled an environment together around each track, making the graphical experience feel somewhat incomplete. Likewise, the potentially interesting soundtrack is usually drowned out by the accurate rendition of damned loud muscle car engines and the squealing of tire rubber burning on asphalt.

This is, I think, indicative of the game's entire experience. Ford Racing 2 is so damned in love with Fords and racing that all other aspects of the game kind of fall by the wayside. The graphics fall just short of being interesting because the only thing the developers wanted anyone to pay attention to was the car models themselves. The sound emphasizes the car's authentic gasoline belch over the chance to create a Ridge Racer-esque immersive connection between the player and the race. Indeed. Ford Racing 2's game modes are so sparsely developed that I would hesitate to call it a game. It's a simulator, a toy, a dream match designed for Ford lovers who yearn for their own Ford garage just to play with some of the staples of American automobile history; the single player experience consists of a bunch of contrived tests to induce you to play with each precious vehicle, and the multiplayer experience consists of getting another equally Ford-obsessed buddy of yours and testing them out against each other. If you're a Ford junkie, Ford Racing 2 is for you. Anyone else expecting a full driving simulator will be disappointed by the virtual lack of car customization options, and any casual racing game fans will be turned off by the lack of actual gameplay.