Arguably Nintendo's best franchise these days, the superb Mario Kart series, is finally hitting the 'Cube; and it's going to thrill you like no game has before. Though we knew it was happening, we just weren't prepared for Nintendo's sudden announcement that the game was near completion, and that a torrent of screenshots and video clips would soon be flooding the internet; sending gamers everywhere into an psychotic frenzy.

Now we're all familiar with how it works. You take control of your favourite Ninty character, jump in a Kart and hurtle your way to victory across a plethora of various landscapes, adopting any means necessary to claim the top spot – which for those not acquainted with the games generally involves a wacky array of weaponry, from green shells that slam other races off the track, to lightning bolts that shrink the opposition and allow you to trample them into the dirt.

However, as you've probably notice there are quite a few changes this time around. Most noticeable is the fact that there are two people riding in each kart, and that the karts themselves have become character personalised. Here's a quick breakdown of how it all works: You pick two characters of your choice, then you choose a kart. Now you can choose any of the characters' karts, with a few exceptions. Small characters like Koopa Troopa cannot drive the bigger characters; such as Bowser's six-wheeled monster. And likewise, the heavy weights of the circuit can't drive the small characters' karts, besides, you wouldn't expect to see Bowser trundling along in a pram now would you? This does mean, then, that the middle range characters such as Yoshi and Mario have an advantage, as they can drive any kart. As for determining speed, handling etc. It's all down to the kart, no matter who you choose it's the kart that determines your racing ability.

So you're probably wondering the point of this change, or you know already and just want to get to all the juicy information. One character drives, the other attacks. Simple. And at the press of a button you can change them round, to have the other character drive and the previous driver attack. This is more than a fancy piece of nothing though, much more. Among the new weapons comes character specific weapons, and each of your two plucky racers can hold one item each. This means that if you're lagging behind and come across a tasty lightning bolt, you can switch the characters and save it for later. And in an even more strategic vein, you may want one of your characters excellent special weapons, which means they're not going to be able to drive if you hold any chance of picking it up. As you should now be able to tell, there's a lot of depth in this seemingly simple change of gameplay. Another nice addition Is the ability to steal other people's items when driving along side them, similar to the ghost weapon from previous games.

Characters then, confirmed are:

· Mario
· Luigi
· Baby Mario
· Baby Luigi
· Donkey Kong
· Diddy Kong
· Bowser
· Baby Bowser
· Koopa Troopa
· Paratroopa
· Yoshi
· Birdo
· Peach
· Daisy


Though Nintendo say there will be secret characters, I'm sure we can expect Wario and Waluigi (shudder) to make an appearance , as well as Toad with some other weak and puny creature, maybe a Shyguy or something.

The graphics seem to have had an overhaul since the first batch of screenshots, with crisper and clearer images being shown, and smooth 60 frames per second on display in the video clips. The tracks seen so far include the traditional Luigi raceway, a Mushroom City level similar to Toad's Turnpike on the N64 version, and a hilly mountain level. Each racer has custom animations for each move and weapon, which is very pleasing indeed.

And possibly the most exciting news is that it will feature LAN connectivity. By using a GC BB adaptor you will be able to link up two 'Cubes for some 8 player mayhem! Better start getting psyched up for this game now, because it sure as hell is gonna blow you away when it's released in November.