Let's Race!!!
Select one of eight characters to play as and then your off to race on highly imaginative race tracks. Whether it be Donkey Kong, Toad or Princess Peach you'll find that each character handles differently.
While racing through said tracks you'll find lots of coins to collect and items to use. When enough coins are collected you receive an extra "live". As for the items that's what makes Mario Kart what it is. The items in question are, red shells (they home in on targets), green shells (blind fire), banana peels, ghosts, stars, lightning bolts (which shrinks all the other players) and mushrooms which gives a boost in speed. You can obtain one of these items each time you run over a "?" box on the ground. Once you have gone over one, an item is randomly selected and placed in your inventory box.
Given the variety in "weapons" to use a lot of strategy and funny situations arise in each and every race. One could get lucky and receive a lightning bolt. After using it you can "smoosh" your pint sized opponents and gain first place. Say your toe-to-toe with someone and nearing the finish line. You just happen to have a mushroom. At the last second you punch it and whiz right by claiming victory.
The point of all this rambling about "items" is that it gives this game a huge fun streak while at the core it remains a racing game. That's why this game was so well received because you didn't have to like racing games, nor did you have to be a huge fan of Mario and his buddies. It was just pure fun to race with someone knowing that the race wasn't over just because you fell into last place.
Racing against the "bots" definately ramped up in difficulty as you progressed from the 50cc, 100cc and finally 150cc circuits. You could also challenge yourself by doing timed laps and racing your "ghost".
Lastly there was a little mode called "Battle Mode". Here is were multiplayer mayhem ensued. First you and your (human) opponent chose your driver. Then you decided on an "arena" to fight in. The clock counted down and the battle heated up. Your objective was to "pop" all three of the baloons that surround your opponents kart before he does it to you. All the items from standard races were at your disposal.
"Battle Mode" may sound rather simple but once you and your opponent have learnt the maps and how to handle your driver proficiently it becomes a complex game of "cat and mouse".
In closing I'd say that Super Mario Kart catered to all gamers. It had the colorful and imaginative race tracks one would expect time find in a Mario game. The racing didn't take place in a "traditional" manner and the controls where right on. Thus making this game easy to pick up and play by just about anyone with an interest in games.