Sifting through the available titles for the Nintendo 64, one will notice a high number of racing games. It is, no doubt, the N64's strongest genre. One of these titles is Extreme-G, a fast-paced, action racer. After the success of Turok, there was much pressure on Acclaim to deliver another top-notch game. Extreme-G is just that.

One to four players can compete on one of many futuristic racetracks made by the government to keep the youths of the world busy, so they won't be out causing trouble. I'm not much of a troublemaker, but this game kept me off the streets for a while.

You have the choice of 8 motorcycle type bikes; each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Some bikes have very good weapon systems, while others can easily handle corners. Each bike contains a main weapon, which can be fired at anytime, though there is a limit to how many times you can fire in one race. While driving along the track, you can also pick up special weapons. These weapons include regular missiles, homing missiles, a tractor beam, and a warp to name a few. It is these weapons which greatly enhance the gameplay. Nothing is more rewarding than picking off the bike in front of you, passing him, and placing first.

The graphics in this game are beautiful. There are four worlds, each with three tracks. From the tight tunnels to the wide-open plains to the corkscrew turns, each world is nicely done. The game's frame rate suffers at times, with the N64 trying to keep up with the speed, but this is rarely noticeable. In an attempt to keep the frame rate and fluidness of the bikes up, the designers brought back the infamous N64 fog, which was used in Turok. This eliminates most pop-up, and doesn't enable you to see very far in front of you.

When playing Extreme-G, you'll notice one thing: speed. The bikes travel at speeds not seen in many racing titles. For each race you get three turbos, which make you go even faster. Additionally, there are cheat codes which, when used, can propel you so fast the screen looks like that of the Starship Enterprise when it is entering warp speed. Very cool.

The sound effects in this game are also very polished. Every sound, from the bike's engine to the warping, screams out the word 'futuristic'. There is not one sound that should be changed. In addition to the sound effects, there is also a great techno soundtrack that compliments the action with its heart-pounding, ear-splitting rhythm. (Crank this baby.)

Extreme-G's control takes some time to get used to. At first you'll be slamming in to every wall, and every player, but as you spent more time with it, you'll have no problem keeping the bike in the middle of the track while zooming around at 300+ M.P.H. The N64's analog stick is great for turning just enough to avoid hitting a wall, while the buttons can be fully customized however you like - a very welcome feature. The Rumble Pak is supported and adds that little extra to make this game a mesmerizing experience.

Single players will have four options. The 'Extreme Contest' is the normal championship evident in most racing games. You collect points by placing high, and in the end the points are added. The one with the most points finishes first. The time trial and single race are also standard in most race games. The last one-player mode -- the shoot-em-up -- is the most interesting one. In this mode, you speed around one of the tracks, trying to destroy as many little racing objects as you can. This is good practice for your driving and shooting skills. I often found myself challenging a friend to see who could get more kills.

Extreme-G should also be commended for its multi-player mode. You and a friend can do the 'Extreme Contest', an option which has rarely been seen since the days of the 16-bit consoles. There are other ways to battle your buddies. Like Mario Kart, there is a battle mode where two to four players battle to the death using what ever means necessary on one of 4 battle arenas - one in each world. These were designed just for this purpose, and make for great killing grounds. There is also a single race where you just race each other to the finish, and lastly there's the tournament mode. Up to 16 players can compete in a tournament of one-on-one matches with two controllers. A nice feature if you have a large gathering. When there are two humans playing, the screen is split either horizontally or vertically. When there are four players, it's split into quarters. However, when there are 3 players, instead of splitting the screen into four sections, and not using one of them, player one gets half the screen while the other two players get only a quarter each. While it doesn't seem like a big deal, it will cause havoc. This is inevitably going to result in too many people blaming their losses on the screen, which sucks all the fun out of winning. What was Probe thinking?

One major complaint I had about this game is its replay value. While it's a great game, it will get very monotonous. After the initial run-through, you won't want to come back to it, except for the occasional multi-player game.

This game is well worth playing for the sense of speed you can get nowhere else. The single and multi-player modes are great, and it has all the little things that make a game good. This game is a must-have if you just want to have some fun. It may not be everybody's idea of a good time, but if you don't plan on buying this title, I strongly suggest you rent it.