While the game version of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace only serves up disappointment, Racer actually delivers on its promise of fast racing action. As part of the Star Wars computer game family, neither Episode I game will be remembered as a great classic, but at least Racer is a fun, if light, racing diversion.

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The game takes the ten-minute podracing sequence from the film and extrapolates it into a full gaming experience. The race depicted in the movie, the Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine, is in the game, but you must win three tournaments spread across eight worlds before you even get invited to that exclusive race. The tournament racing mode in this game has you competing in an amateur circuit, a semi-pro circuit, and finally a pro circuit. After completing those circuits, you can then race in a handful of invitationals. The ultimate race is the Boonta Eve Classic.

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Not only can you fly as Anakin Skywalker, but you can eventually choose to race as one of 20 different pilots, including Sebulba, Gasgano, and other participants in the movie race. In addition to racing at 600 mph through a variety of tracks, you can also upgrade your pod by buying parts from Watto or scrounging through his junkyard. This game succeeds on a variety of levels: fast fun, many different environments, more than 20 different tracks, and an appreciable difficulty curve. It is by no means perfect, as multiplay is somewhat lackluster, and the track map and even some tracks are hard to discern.

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Racer is by no means an excellent game, but it is definitely fun. As a Star Wars game, our guess is that it won't be mentioned in the same breath as Jedi Knight and TIE Fighter, but neither will it be tossed around with the likes of The Phantom Menace of Yoda Stories. And as the only Star Wars racing game, it sure is a blast to play.

Read GameSpot's Star Wars: Episode I Racer review.

Next: More Episode I Games