Even after nearly ten years, I still marvel at the enjoyment I get out of this game.
The single player is a basic kart-style series of cups. There is three difficulty settings; the higher the difficulty, the faster the cars. This part of the game is moderately challenging on the hardest mode. There's four races to each cup, and if you race well, you get a trophy. What makes this mode even easier is that if you get fifth or worse, you can restart the race. So you can just stop if you're in second place and try until you get first.
The multiplayer, on the other hand, is really great. There is two player GP mode, where you and a friend can compete with computers in the single-player cups. Also is a race mode capable of up to four racers at a time. Then comes Battle Mode. This kind of match is so fun, and extremely addictive. You start with three ballons tied to you. Each time you are hit by a turtle shell, hit a trap, or get hit by a bigger racer you lose a balloon. And when you lose all of your balloons, you can get revenge as a moving bomb. It gets chaotic and competitive. The downside is you have to have friends around to play this mode. There is no game that better uses four player on the N64.
The graphics on this game are also great for its time. The drivers and karts are pre-rendered, so they have a nice, detailed look. When you fire a koopa shell, smoke flies off its rear. And the train on Kalamari Desert looks almost like the real thing. This game went 3-D very well.
With such great multiplayer, this game is a must-have. But since the game is best with friends around, you may not play it much. You won't ever not want to play it though. All in all, this racer is a good looking funfest with nearly infinite replay value.