While the developer RedLynx may not be familiar to Wii owners they have something of a cult following on other consoles thanks to the fantastically fun Trials HD along with the lesser known but no less brilliant DrawRace 2, it would seem that everything this company touches in the digital download department turns to gold and now it's the turn of Nintendo's Wii console. MotoHeroz may look rather cute from the offset but don't be deceived as it's merely a front for what's contained within, which is quite honestly one of the most entertaining and enjoyable physics-based racers that this reviewer has ever had the pleasure of playing.

Taking control of your Rally-Racer couldn't be simpler as you only need hold the Wii-remote sideways using the d-pad to change the angle of your vehicle as you move across terrain plus through the air as you hit various bumps and jumps moving, forward/backward with the numbered buttons while various power-ups – rockets, springs etc – are assigned to the favourably larger 'A' button. You can put your vehicle upright when it gets over-turned – which it will – by shaking the controller; finally you can press the minus button to instantly restart the race – this will also happen a lot – which is very helpful indeed as are the very minimal loading screens.

Single player comprises of a substantial story mode which is where you'll meet an eclectic collection of characters including Gene McQuick, the plucky hero who you'll control; Hans Ohne, a manic mechanic; Peri Sprite, nicest driver on the road; and Spider O'Rally, the villain, your nemesis... he'll do anything to win so do all that you to make sure that you beat him. You'll get to drive across many different backdrops including Desert, Forest, Ice and even Lava based tracks all of which will test your skill as you attempt to conquer them all; what's more though is the air, underwater plus space tracks which have a slightly different control scheme which helps to break up the gameplay without ever becoming too frustrating in fact even though you will undoubtedly experience some mild rage when trying to progress on some tracks you'll only ever be annoyed at yourself because the physics in this game are absolutely spot on.

Indeed it's this finely honed physics-engine which will keep you coming back for more as it's just so much fun to play as you find yourself smashing through loops, driving up walls, indirectly controlling a wooden toboggan and much more besides that you'll just have to discover for yourself. I'd even go as far to say that if you're reading this now and have the Wii points to spare then please buy this game right now... yes right now because it's that good, I'd be playing it at the moment if I wasn't writing this very review. There's plenty to do even in single player as for each of the tracks there are medals to gain based on speed, coins to collect which you can use in the garage to gain more vehicles and two hidden "ancestor orbs" to obtain which will take you a while to find.

But it's the online which is perhaps the most compelling aspect as it has a few features, but above all is fun to play as there are challenges set daily which usually involve existing tracks from the game in which you race your best with the goal being to set a new record on the leader-board. Some challenges allow unlimited attempts within the allotted twenty-four hours whereas others are known as 'one-shot' challenges because you only get one try – excluding practice runs – to make your mark. It's all so simple yet so addictive, I even found myself getting sucked into the competition for a good few hours trying to better my position while doing battle against ghost data of other players. You know that an online component is decent though when you find yourself claiming the top-spot on a leader-board and then end up racing against your own ghost trying to perfect your run even more.

Visually everything is rather striking with decent use of many bold colours which when coupled with the various backdrops really ensure that the game looks stunning throughout for a WiiWare title. Though it's worth noting that the end result does look superior to certain full retail offerings so it's still an impressive feat overall. Aurally the developer has done very well too with a collection of decent midi-style compositions which go well with the tracks with the sound effects sounding reasonable too, it's just a shame that the game feels held back by Nintendo's rather strict 40MB limit as if this game were allowed to be bigger then who knows what minor improvements could have been made to make the game even more impressive than it already is and for this reason – plus the omission of Classic Controller support which could have made playing a more comfortable experience - I can't wait to see what RedLynx might be able to bring to either the 3DS or even WiiU in the future be it downloadable or retail.

Make no mistake that MotoHeroz is indeed the full package wrapped up in one small download, it's an excellent game in it's own right and in many ways sets the standard for downloadable games on Nintendo platforms but with the promise of DLC still to come who knows what the future holds for this already fantastic racer. I for one am glad to have played such a fantastic title and I would urge you to download this as it's easily one of the finest experiences available on WiiWare and a small price to pay for the amount of enjoyment you're likely to gain from it.