Lightning

The lightning power-up is a triple whammy and acquired by racers that are in the back of the pack-so they can ruin the hopes of other competitors! Activate lightning and a bolt instantly strikes other racers, which shrinks the affected racers to mini-size and slows down those racers considerably. And just to add another layer to the destruction, the affected racers also lose their item inventory. Don’t forget that the higher your rank in the race, the longer you’ll be affected by the lightning bolt.

The effects won’t last forever so try and utilize lightning when you’re as close to the main pack as possible. You’re now faster (and bigger) than everyone else. The shorter the distance you have to make up on your competitors the better. Don’t bother driving around those karts and bikes in front of you; they’re small and harmless so just run over them!

Star

That familiar tune can only mean one thing: invincibility! Well, temporary invincibility at least. Activate the star power-up and you are invincible for a short period of time. You also drive faster and can speed over off-road sections like they were paved road. Hit those shortcuts! And since you’re invincible, knocking into other racers has no effect on your vehicle-but packs on punch on theirs! Smash into other racers as you speed by and cause those competitors to spin out.

Stars provide temporary invincibility and speed boost. You can use it to protect yourself against an item attack or just make up ground on the leaders.

Invincibility also means protection against some of the more damaging power-ups, such as the spiny shell or POW block. When you spot a spiny shell headed your way or a POW block hovering over your head, activate the star and avoid the ill effects of these power-ups.

Mega Mushroom

The mega mushroom is one of Mario Kart Wii’s new power-ups. It has similarities to Bullet Bill and will be acquired by those racers trailing the leaders. Activate the mega mushroom and you grow in size, speed up slightly, and flatten other racers that have the misfortunate of driving in your path. Although you aren’t moving as fast as other boost methods, the increased speed means you should take advantage of off-road shortcuts while giant-sized. Primarily, though, you’re running over other racers and leaving them flat in your dust. With this item, you’re effectively invulnerable, but if you’re hit by a lightning bolt, you’ll return to normal size, rather than being shrunk. Also, you can still be damaged by another racer using a star item.

POW Block

The POW block from the original Mario Bros. arcade game makes a return as a new power-up for Mario Kart Wii. Use the POW block and the item appears over every other racer on the track. The POW block acts like a timer; it flattens and counts down and when it reaches zero, the resulting "pow" causes the affected racers to spin out and lose their item inventories. The racer that distributed the POW block among the competition can make up precious ground.

When the POW block appears above your racer, you have a few seconds to avoid its effects-that is if the situation is just right. You can avoid the POW block if you have a star in your inventory; just use the star and its temporary invincibility will protect you from the POW block. Also, if there’s a ramp ahead, drive right to it. If you’re in the air from a ramp jump, the POW block won’t affect you. There’s also another method if you’re on a bike! Perform a wheelie just as the final POW block hit is made and your bike spins out but you maintain speed.

Lightning Cloud

The new lightning cloud power-up is like the Mario Kart Wii hot potato. Once acquired, the lightning cloud hovers over your kart or bike and provides a speed boost. But the fun doesn’t last forever. Several seconds after the lightning cloud appears, lightning strikes causing the affected racer to shrink and slow down. So the goal is to get the benefits of the lightning cloud but get rid of it before lightning strikes and you’re slowed and shrunk.

That’s where hot potato comes in. If you smack into a fellow racer, the lightning cloud transfers to that competitor. The time is still ticking so the recipient will likely have just mere moments before the cloud’s lightning bolt strikes. This countdown doesn’t take long; as you’ve grabbed the cloud, it’s to look for a racer to share with. The speed boost is nice but getting shrunk and slowing down isn’t. If there’s no one ahead of you, try slowing down just a bit and perhaps that racer on your tail wouldn’t mind taking the lightning cloud off of your hands.