GAMER'S CORNER: Take the wheel and win with 'Mario Kart Wii'

Nintendo Wii gamers with the need for speed won't be disappointed with the much-hyped "Mario Kart Wii," an incredibly fun and accessible cartoon racing game for kids and kids at heart.

As with past "Mario Kart" games, you first choose a familiar Nintendo character - such as Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad - before hopping into a go-kart or on a motorcycle to enter a wild race. With the Wii, you can even play as your custom-made Mii character. The goal of each match is to reach the finish line through speed and cunning use of items, such as dropping bananas on the track to slip up opponents or temporarily turning into a rocket and flying past other racers.

While "Mario Kart Wii" offers virtually the same core game play as its predecessors - which is just fine for purists who prefer that Nintendo not tinker with the formula - new features boil down to control and online play.

"Mario Kart Wii" ships with the small Wii Wheel, which houses the wireless and motion-sensing Wii Remote (sold separately), so you simply hold this circular controller like a steering wheel on your lap or in the air to navigate corners, while the trigger ("B") button behind the wheel can be used to initiate your item (such as a weapon). Shake the wheel while you're in the air for a well-timed speed burst when you touch back down on the asphalt. You can also choose from three other controller setups (Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller and older GameCube controller), but the wheel is the most intuitive and fun.

Not only can you play against savvy computer-controlled opponents or with up to three others on the same television (via split-screen mode), but for the first time in the series, you can also log onto the Internet via the free Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and engage in multiplayer games and tournaments for up to 12 players. Fortunately, online play for "Mario Kart Wii" proved a lot smoother than the first couple of Internet-enabled Wii games.

While it appears to be a fairly shallow and short game on the surface, "Mario Kart Wii" offers a surprising amount of depth and length if you invest the time to explore the many races. For example, in the Grand Prix mode, there are eight cups to win, each featuring four different tracks. Some courses are better than others but most are quite imaginative with huge ramps and obstacles to avoid. Then there are Time Trial races, where you'll race through a course yourself in the attempt to break the speed record. Team-based modes let two to four players compete to collect the most coins or vie to pop more of the other team's balloons.

Like the popular music-based titles like "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band," "Mario Kart Wii" is a terrific party game for friends and families to play together, and will satisfy both seasoned fans of the franchise and first-time players. The frantic cartoon racing and silly weapons make for a thrilling solo diversion or head-to-head competition that's as easy to pick up as it is hard to put down.