I am not a big fan of racing games. Sure, just like everyone else, I do enjoy them from time to time. And if you forced me to choose my favorite racing game of all time, that game would not be Mario Kart. This is not to say that I have not greatly enjoyed the series, but the high honor of my being my favorite goes to F-Zero on the Super Nintendo. I remember the first time playing it, being blown away at the graphics, the tight controls and, of course, the major almost overwhelming sense of speed. It was awesome. The racing game sent to me this time is Strategy First’s Ford Racing: Off Road for the PC. So, is the game worth your time? My response is highly mixed but ultimately falls into the not-so-much category.

Installation of the game was rather painless as it quickly installed itself onto my computer. No crazed crashes or difficulty. And as an added bonus, the disc is not needed to play. However, the game does not come with a hard-copy manual. Instead, it is on the CD itself. For the record, while I do not hold that fact against this game, if a game comes in a box, there should be a hard copy of the manual — since it is not a downloaded game from the Internet. Or at the very least, it should include a quick sheet of controls.

Anyway, the entire point of the game is to win first place in as many tracks as possible in each of the four game modes: career, arcade, instant play and tournament. Career is where the bulk of the game is located. Each stage has you doing different things, such as running over a certain number of cash icons, winning first place while not sustaining too much damage, elimination challenge (each lap cuts out the last two positions) or just a traditional race. Tournament has you going through all four tracks for each area at once. Arcade lets you choose which stage you have completed in career mode. Instant play just throws you into a race with a random car in a random track. So, yes, there is a fair amount of content to keep racing gamers happy. However, there is an Achilles’ heel: the controls.

First, let’s start with the pleasant part of the controls: the simplicity. All that is required is your keyboard because it is centered on the arrow keys. Here’s the problem: Whenever the game throws a curve — especially a sharp one — you run right into it. And then all the other racers drive perfectly past you. I consistently found myself mentally screaming at the monitor, begging for the car to turn sharp enough to make it. Instead, it slowly veers into the rocks, kissing it, and the damage count (the damage meter is well-hidden in the speedometer) quickly rose 10 percent or so each time. As the damage rises, the controls go downhill. While it might be realistic, it kills the fun. Unless I used the handbrake, which allows my car to make the turn and avoid some damage, the overall result is the same: frustration and losing. I even changed the control scheme onto my simple PlayStation 1 clone computer controller. And my emotional result is the same, even though the controls felt slightly stronger. Perhaps that is why the steering wheel and other aspects of the inside of the car are not seen: Players would quickly figure out that the steering wheel’s play is far too tight. And anytime I won, I swear I somehow lucked out.

It also is important to note that the game is set up in menu format. While this is intuitive, it is bland just to select a text. And then there is the time you win (or lose) a race. The screen goes 80 percent black, and the music stops. That is it. Also, before you can begin racing, you have to purchase a car. Logical enough. However, the first two cars are essentially the same, though $2,000 different in price and color. Now that I think about it, it’s odd that I paid for the more expensive car for color.

Graphically, the game is rather decent. Sand flies as you drive over it. As the cars take damage, smoke rises. Depending on how high the resolution is, it influences how grainy the game looks. And that influences how often the game lags, which is odd considering that this is not the strongest racing engine. There is a first-person perspective that shows the game from inside the car. On the one hand, it is rather cool. On the other hand, it is rather disturbing that it is not being shown from driver’s perspective. Furthermore, the few tracks that I’ve seen look and feel the same. And then you get to the main graphic lure of the game: the cars. If you like Ford, there are about 36 cars for you stare at. And other than basic model changes, they all look the same to me. Granted, I can tell different types apart, but it is a car! That is what it is to me, not some special creature. In other words, the presentation as a whole is just bland.

Sound wise, the game is just bland. The game starts with the “traditional” racing music: southern rock. And it is completely and utterly skipable and annoying. Then there is the RC sound of the cars, which is odd considering that this is a “big boy” game and not a toy. It also violates the realism that the game aspires. There is background music, but it is absorbed by the driving sounds. The weirdest part is that there is no victory fanfare for winning a race.

In conclusion, Ford Racing: Off Road drives me nuts. And not in a good way. Every time I started the game, I thought, “Today is the day I will get further. Today, this game will be decent.” Instead, I am frustrated in less than seven minutes. Instead, I start to imagine that the fictional cat I own with its long tail is a danger to the car and not the other way around. Instead, I am assaulted with bland presentation. Instead, I have to deal with frustrating controls. What should have been a decent racing game is instead nothing more than an interactive placement advertisement. And all that is needed is a little patch to fix the controls. Just a little patch. For the record, I currently drive a Ford. And if my car in real life drove like the cars in the game, my insurance rate would be through the roof. For $20, you can purchase two classic racing games on the Wii’s virtual console while you avoid this game like the plague. And that is just not a proper fate for something that should have been solid.