I only had two questions when my copy of Mario Kart DS arrived. Will this be the best Mario Kart ever and is online play the best thing ever? After spending hours and hours racing, throwing bananas and hopping around countless great racetracks, I don't hesitate to answer both questions with a big yes.

Why is this the best Mario Kart ever? Not in the least because of the online modes, but also because of the kart controls. Never before have your racing skills been tested in a Mario Kart game before as in this one. Mario Kart DS contains the old-skool driving techniques like the good-old hops; great for cutting corners; the mini-turbo's – popular with experienced drivers- and the slipstream. When driving behind an opponent your kart eventually gets a boost thanks to being in his stream. This way, being in second place with the finish line in sight isn't a bad thing. Just pass your opponent with the right timing for the perfect clinch. Great stuff.

But that doesn't mean driving around in your four-wheeled kart is a difficult task to do. No sir. Steering feels natural and even the greatest Mario Kart virgin is able to play this game. Handling is the basic factor that makes or breaks a racing game. Well, Mario Kart controls are perfect. Even without an analogue stick you can give your kart little correction to stay on track. If you suck, you know well and good that its your fault.

What distinguishes Mario Kart DS from other racing games is not only the world of Mario but also the weapons. MK DS has all the standard crazy attacks of predecessor Double Dash with 2 new ones to mix it up. Yes, the inevitable blue shell is back. Poor drivers can thank god. Their chances have increased enormously. Also, being last placed still gives you a bigger change on good items. When driving in front the chances on good items are slim. Unfair? Maybe, but it's the little things like this that make every game of Mario Kart unpredictable.

There is still almost no way to escape that darned bomby blue shell. Luckily the Boo item is a way to flee from the blue danger. Boo steals an item from a rival and also it makes you invisible for a short time, invulnerable even to opponent's attacks. Blue shell, anyone? Unfortunately chances on a Boo are slim when ranked first, so don't get your hopes up too high. One of the new items in MK:DS is the Blooper. He sprays ink on karts in front of you, blocking their view. It isn't too hard to steer through though for good players though it is a fun item to use. Also if you're smart you can boost or drive through water to remove the ink from your screen quicker. This item isn't what you're waiting for when in last position.

The second newcomer is the Bullet Bill. This one is great for guys that get stuck behind in a race. For a short time your kart turns into the giant bullet making a great leap forward. This one can easily be compared with Baby Mario's/Luigi's Chain Chomp in the previous Mario Kart and gives you a great sense of authority bombing people as you fly down the course. By far the most fun item. Another item similar to one in Double Dash is the golden mushroom which gives you unlimited boosts for a short period of time. And here's one item you just gotta love to have as a standard item. It's Bob-omb, the explosive special weapon from Waluigi and Wario in Double Dash. With a precise throw/drop you can easily shake off annoying opponents. Watch out hitting your own kart, though.

The racing tracks are where it all takes place and you might have noticed that this Mario Kart has double the amount of race tracks than any other Mario Kart game. Sixteen brand new ones and sixteen retro tracks, which makes the amazing number thirty-two. The 'old' courses are kept mostly authentic. Graphics and music are tuned up to the DS capabilities (GameCube tracks excluded of course) but the roads are identical. I noticed that the classic Super Nintendo tracks seem a bit out of place nowadays, but they are pretty simple compared to today's standards. Also the colourful blocks on the sidelines make them differ too much from the others which is just so 1992…you can't beat their nostalgia value though. Playing the N64's Moo Moo Farm again is not to be missed, the only problem is it makes you yearn for more of the classics…were too greedy for our own good but then again, Nintendo are making sure they feed us as much as they can.

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The sixteen new courses are nothing revolutionary new, but they are great. The standard themes are being used here. You can almost predict them already; a beach track, mountain road, rainbow courses and so on, but that doesn't mean these tracks feel liked you've played them before. No sir, some have quickly become my favourite tracks of all time. Delfino Square for example, you get to race in and about the Mario Sunshine island's little streets. Another new one is the tropical Cheep Cheep Beach. It makes really good use of the tides. Waves can either smaller or widen your path so if you plan your laps you can avoid it as best possible. Pure genius, why don't other games have these features that touch our hearts? That's not to mention Waluigi's Pinball circuit, giant metal balls roll across your path, flippers and those bouncy things... y'know, that are in the machines... its all there. MK:DS has managed to make its tracks the most interactive of all Mario Karts.

Before I spoil my superlatives to the multiplayer mode let's stick it first to the good old single player modes. This Mario Kart has the best and biggest modes for the lonely player. Count along, Grand prix mode with three different engine classes, the battle mode, vs. mode, time trials and even a new mission mode. Not only does this look like a list of many things to do, its better. There are characters, courses and karts to unlock. Next to that, Mario Kart DS ranks your performances on almost all these modes so there's always a drive to improve your ratings. You don't want all B's on your performance list now, do you.

While a mode like time trials isn't something that can be revolutionary improved, it really stands out on Mario Kart DS. The ghosts of your performances are saved, so they're available to race against all the time. That, with the option of exchanging ghosts with friends and unlocking staff ghosts mean this mode could hardly be better. The new mission mode is also a nice addition. You get to do lots of different tasks like driving through portals or collecting coins. All within a time limit of course. Eventually even a boss fight is asked of you. It's a nice variation which will kill some hours and hone up your driving skills, but it's nothing to get too excited over.

Now let's look at the unique aspect of Mario Kart DS; the online options. Nintendo kept the menus in Mario Kart DS as simple as possible. Making a link with Nintendo's WiFi connection couldn't be easier. In the beginning you have to set up a connection. The DS can only connect with either unprotected signals or secure connection with WEP. I tested the WiFi detection on several locations. I can say I had no problem connecting. With all internet access points differing however, I cannot guarantee you won't have any problems, though Nintendo have tried damn hard to make sure you don't. Look for all you need to know about WiFi in R-E's article in the hub. After setting up a successful connection you can start playing online for free. Finally, after all those years, Nintendo is online…

It works flawlessly. You won't experience any kind of lag whatsoever. There are the simple options to race against friends (which you can add thanks to the personal code you receive), rivals, regional or worldwide opponents. The game then finds opponents which you get to race against. The modes speak for themselves, though rivals is little more advanced, it will pick appropriate opponents for you depending on your skill ranking, which is pretty cool. Although, keep in mind there is 'only' one mode and twenty courses that are available on the internet, and the amount of players is limited to four. If this bothers you a lot however then you must be crazy, as online Mario Kart will no doubt keep you racing for years to come. Racing against real players worldwide automatically makes the tension rise. It's more intense. Getting back to the single player races against computer players is like trading your DS in for a classic Gameboy Advance. It feels like a step back.

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The game keeps track of all your wins (and losses if you ever experience any) so other players see who they're dealing with. Important to note is that your Mario Kart copy is meant to play on the same DS. If you're planning on sharing this game you will lose your personal account when changing to another DS. Unfortunately also, Mario Kart DS has no forms of communication online. You can design a personal emblem that you can use on your karts and which opponents get to see which is cool but that's as much as you can do. Some gamers really put effort in it, while sometimes what they really need to do is improve their lacking racing skills! While I played a lot of online races against a great variety of people, one thing bothered me. Where are the controversial emblems, for crying out loud?! Apart from a naked batman, I never saw one. Come on people, shock me!

I noticed a few real problems with Ninty's WiFi mode that I cannot ignore though. Finding three suitable opponents shouldn't be that hard a task for the game, but sometimes the wait time can count up to four, five minutes. This doesn't have to take that long. Another problem I experienced was when my internet connection cracked. Instead of returning back to the main menu Mario Kart just froze. This happened to me a couple of times. Nothing to get that bothered about, but it can get annoying.

Next to the online multiplayer, Mario Kart offers one card multiplayer, making you able to play with other DS-owners who don't own Mario Kart (shame on them). With one card only eight courses are available. Gamers without a MK copy have to play with Shy Guy, and only Shy Guy. Computer players can be added to make the game more lively and there's a team-mode option. Of course it's recommended to play with other people that own Mario Kart DS. You can play all tracks with up to eight players with team racing being an option to definitely rile up some multiplayer madness.

What I haven't spoken of is the battle mode. The classic balloon popping game is present in addition with the Shine Runners game. Personally I'm not that excited about those, I'm more of a racing guy, but I guess these modes can be fun. Balloon battle uses the microphone as a gimmick to 'blow up' your balloons. Unlike MK64, you have 5 balloons but the catch is, you must literally blow them up, take too long and you will soon be hit without any and lose. It feels like Nintendo was looking for the microphone to get involved and they came up with this feature. Shine Runners isn't that innovative however, the basics of it are players collecting shines, but then again it is amusing. The way I see these modes is simply that they are a nice way to take a rest from the tracks, though they have developed quite a cult of fans over the years who will rejoice at their inclusion. There are tons of little things that make this Mario Kart stand out. I haven't even spoken of the surround sound which will surely get you immersed. Play this game with headphones on as well and you're in for an even better experience.

Mario Kart DS sets the new standard for MK games. Even if you're only planning to play single player, you will have lots of fun with this package, but if you do have the option to go online, and who doesn't in the 21st century, then do it. It's great, it's terrific, it's the future. The game is at its best online. Nintendo had better not dare release a Mario Kart without internet play from now on.

If Revo-Europe would allow me to give half numbers this game would get a 9.5, though I'll have to stick with a 9. I'm not giving this game the full score because of the little WiFi errors I experienced and the availability of only one online mode. But don't get me wrong. Apart from this, Mario Kart is one hell of a game. It's the best Mario Kart of all-time and an essential DS purchase. You shouldn't be allowed to own a DS without it.