great game. lived up to what we all remember mariokart as.
once you get the hang of the motion controls, they really work well. and while its missing a few of the masterpiece courses seen in mariokart DS, it had plenty of old classics we all remember, and new courses we all will remember. mariokart wii offers a variety of different passageways throughout each course. but there is no "best way to go". the karts decide a lot of how an when you should use the shortcuts or alternative routes. a lot of these routes are offroad, so its better sometimes not to go on them. however the karts lacking offroad quickness substitute that ability for something else: weight, speed, handling. each kart handles differently and you can find different ways to use them.
the difficulty i think is just perfect, although some may disagree. i find that challenging games make me want to play more, and after all, isnt the whole point of video games to challenge yourself? i think its probably a good game for beginners, but also something a master could play and not win every race.
in the end, its just flat-out a fun game to play.