In my younger days, Mods were the opposite of Rockers - a huge music and lifestyle divide that seems awfully meaningless now.

GAME: MODNATION RACERS

PUBLISHER: SCEA

So my hopes that ModNation Racers might involved Vespas and music by The Who was always going to be a long shot.

These mods are modifieds, and in this kart racer, modification is king - perhaps to the detriment of the racing itself. Like Little Big Planet, it's very big on the play, create and share idea, whereby you can modify karts and drivers, build your own racetracks and then put it all onto the net for other players to download.

It works as a single-player game too, though, with various conditions - such as finding short-cuts on the tracks and collecting weapons - that need to be met in order to progress or earn more mods.

The modifications, however, are pretty much all superficial, because there's no way to tune your kart for better performance. If you like the look of a lawn mower engine powering your vehicle, go for it; it will drive just as effectively as what looks like a V8.

Unlike racing simulators such as Grid or Gran Turismo, kart racers forego realism for cute vehicles, mind-blowing tricks and funky tracks.

THE GOOD

Crash, bash and shoot your opponents - it's road rage without the consequences. The game's creative interior laws of physics - belonging more to Crash Bandicoot than Isaac Newton - and endless modifying make it ideal for children.

THE BAD

Ridiculously slow load times. Never mind the long wait as you install the game. Between races you can make some coffee, drink it and wash the cup afterwards. What gives? Much bigger, much better games are much faster.

RATING:7.9