Lamp posts bounce off your bonnet, street furniture skitters out the way. The feats you pull off behind the wheel in MM3 would never be allowed on the streets of Paris or Washington, and certain parts of the scenery can be lifted easily out of its moorings, as if they weighed nothing. Over 30 vehicles are available to players throughout the levels.

Vehicles range from the comical looking smart car to the high-powered Lotus Espirit Turbo. The number of cars you can race is also quite impressive. Drive at a pedestrian and they will leap out of the way - an impressive change from the dull AI of some other racing games. Pedestrians and traffic litter the streets, giving the game a realistic feel. The cities are recreated excellently monuments and neighbourhoods have an impressive amount of detail. Be the first to get the goal and hide it, or try to smash into your opponent to snatch it. Up to eight players can compete in games like tag, team battles and races around the cities. There are exclusive Xbox Live game modes and you can challenge players online. With Xbox Live looking set to launch in Ireland this year, we are bound to see more and more Live-enabled games hitting the shelves. This is where the multiplayer mode steps up and takes control. There are 54 single player missions to work through. Interesting because you can crash into practically everything en route to your goal frustrating because no doubt it will take several attempts to finish the mission and move on to the next career, so before you know it youвЂ™ve lost an entire weekend.ДЄfter a while, the single player missions may seem a bit boring if youвЂ™ve done one, you could start to feel that youвЂ™ve done them all.

What follows is an interesting, if somewhat frustrating, journey. You also have to contend with jealous colleagues, who want nothing more than to see you fail. There are different mission-based challenges along with each new career - usually involving you being the first to deliver pizzas or get from A to B in the quickest time. You take on jobs that include delivering pizzas, chauffeuring, stunt driving and getting behind the wheel of an ambulance. Single player mode sees you take on the role of an undercover agent who must infiltrate the criminal underworld.

Midtown madness 3 xbox live