Of course, it shouldn't really matter what characters you're racing as if the game itself is great – they could have just called it Cute Animal Racing and be done with the use of licenses all together. And while you can race as your Xbox Live avatar – a feature which comes into its own in online multiplayer – other than the Sonic tracks and characters, there's nothing here that has that same pleasing familiarity as racing as Yoshi or Donkey Kong. And while Sega diehards will appreciate the references, the use of Shenmue, Crazy Taxi and Virtue Fighter characters just looks odd in some of the game's more cartoony settings. Of the 20 drivers available, I struggled to recognise about half. But what lets it down slightly, aside from occasionally dodgy collision detection, is the fact that the Sega universe simply isn't one that's as pleasing for your average gamer to play around in. Sonic All Star racing is, then, in many ways superior to its much vaunted rival. Green boxing gloves are green koopa shells. And the at times shameless use of Mario Kart-like staples means anyone familiar with the Nintendo series will be able to pick the basics up in no time at all.

Track design is consistently excellent, multiplayer works well, on and offline. Meanwhile the variety of weapons, racers, competitions and missions to play through mean there's a great deal of longevity on offer. Sacrilegious as it may sound, race for race I'd say Sonic Racing is actually slightly more enjoyable than the Nintendo title it's attempting to recreate. The controls are accurate and responsive, while the 'powersliding' feature really adds something to the format, requiring perfect timing to charge your turbo booster as you slide through corners. The gameplay itself is similarly impressive. It's a shame you have to zip through the scenery with such speed, so much is there to take in. While this may not be helpful for those considering the Wii version of the game, in HD it offers a gloriously crisp and colourful array of landscapes, each with bucketfuls of incidental trackside garnish. One thing in which Sonic Racing can claim uncontested superiority is the graphics department – a kart racer has never looked so pretty. But unlike previous attempts, it's clear developer Sumo Digital has put a huge amount of effort into to not just making a game that cashes in on Mario Kart's success, but, to paraphrase Sir Alex Ferguson, one that can knock the classic series off its karting perch. Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing is the latest in a long line of pretenders to the throne. Nothing on a non-Nintendo console has ever quite cut the mustard.

Since its debut on the SNES in 1992, the series has been the definitive action/racing title.

I f there's one thing Nintendo owners have always been able to brag about, it's Mario Kart.

Sonic and sega all stars racing sonic