Game review: Mario Kart 7

Mario and his pals team up for another round of high-speed insanity in Mario Kart 7 on 3DS.

Including four championships of new tracks, plus four consisting of classic circuits from the SNES, GameCube, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS and Wii games, there is plenty here for speed freaks to enjoy.

The underlying racing mechanics that have held the series in good stead are back, but come with a few new features, such as using gliders to swoop from high cliffs, and propellers to race along the ocean floor.

Mixing up tracks with underwater and air routes gives rise to multiple shortcuts on each track. Finding them all is the key to hitting the podium places when racing on higher difficulty levels, or online thanks to a superb multiplayer offering.

You and up to seven friends can take to the track in either wi-fi or local play, and it is here that Mario Kart 7’s true staying power is revealed. You can race single tracks, full championships, or engage in battle modes which see players collecting coins and popping balloons for points.

Despite these changes, Mario Kart 7 still feels like a classic entry to the series, and this is perhaps the game’s most enjoyable trait. Beneath the simplistic racing lies hidden depth, such as drifting to boost power, jumping off ramps to increase speed and other little tricks that make the difference between a good player, and an amazing one. It’s utterly addictive stuff.

£39.99, Nintendo 3DS