Any gamer worth his or her salt knows what it means when the Sonic Team logo is on the front of a video game: quality, style, and speed.  Sonic, Nights, and Burning Rangers are some of the classics the team is responsible for and all of them retain their classic status to this day.  ChuChu Rocket continues the Sonic Team tradition of excellence, although not in the way that most people probably expect.

This is not a game that features great graphics, or quality music, or much of a one-player game.  In fact, in the graphics and sound department, the Super Nintendo could probably handle ChuChu Rocket.  It is best described as a puzzle game.  Up to four players guide mice into their rocket while steering cats into the other players' rockets.  This is done by placing arrows on the board; each player may have three on the board at a time, and when a fourth is placed, their older arrow disappears.  Special mice will appear that cause a variety of effects, such as Mouse Mania, where the whole screen fills with mice.  The game is extremely fast-paced and hard to grasp at first.  Ultimately, however, this game becomes a supremely entertaining party experience.

While ChuChu Rocket does not test the Dreamcast in the graphics or sound departments, it does utilize the console's power in other ways.  Most importantly, this is the first full online game available for the Dreamcast in the United States.  Using the built-in modem, players can go online and play against players from all over the world.  Granted, at times there can be some lag, but generally the action is responsive and surprisingly fun.  Whatever advances Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo bring to the console world in the near future, Sega is the company that first allowed console users to play against gamers in different countries.  This game is innovative for that fact if nothing else. 

Personally, I enjoy having three other people play with me, because like other great party games, half of the fun is the interaction with your friends.  In this case, you can gloat as you steer three cats into their rockets and redirect a hundred mice into yours.  Cats grow in strength the longer they are on the board gobbling up mice, and the game's outcome can sometimes turn on a perfectly redirected cat.  A problem with extended play with the same people is that the better player tends to get ganged up on and, unlike Mario Party, it's very easy to take one player out and simply hand the game to someone else.  This does not seem to happen very often, simply because once players get the hang of it, the playing field is relatively even.  Quick reflexes are the name of the game and players of chess will delight in the way their ability to think several moves ahead grants them a great advantage.

One last great bonus is that this game has come out at a discounted price and should retail for around thirty dollars, making it a great buy.  Once again, Sonic Team has come through, providing the Dreamcast with a great multi-player online puzzle game unlike any other game ever released.  Many in the game industry were disappointed to hear this was one of the mighty Sonic Team's releases, but in my opinion this game is an instant classic.  As long as you can handle the Japanese cuteness factor and accept the graphics, you will more than get your money's worth out of purchasing this game.  Although a weekend's rental is probably a good idea for anyone not sure how keen they are on puzzle games.  Overall, ChuChu Rocket is very highly recommended.