Further, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Smooth terrain, eye-popping lighting effects and weather looks about as good as you could want. The trucks also look like their real live counterparts and you can even spy the drivers sitting at the wheel. They turn to look at you as you pass them.

4x4 also includes an extensive career mode. Win races, make money and buy new vehicle upgrades depending on your performance. The competition grows fierce at a smooth curve over the course of the races and this gives you a solid reason to come back to the game.

The other saving grace for the game is the multiplayer. Playing against Mac and Dreamcast owners is as much of a kick as it sounds and this is probably the way gaming is going to go. Console owners beware!

Add to this a powerful track editor and the tools to use it and you have a compelling arcade racer that could have been better. Enjoy it if your expectations run toward shallower console fare, but many PC fans would rather have the SUV simulator not found in this colorful box.

Andrew Bub
Contributing Editor & Beatdown Scribe