Ducati World Racing Challenge

(Acclaim for the PlayStation)
by Shane Yeager

If you are not familiar with Ducati, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, the best features of Acclaim’s Ducati World may go over your head. By working closely with the manufacturer, Acclaim has lovingly recreated over 40 of the most popular Ducati motorcycles of all time to a level fit to satisfy even the most fanatic Ducati-maniac. Race your favorite model over eight different tracks, with a challenging realism that often forces your rider onto the asphalt for a slight miscalculation. Ducati World offers quick races against track records, computer opponents, or another human, plus the “Ducati Life” option, which immerses you in the Ducati “cult,” where you progress from a beaten, used bike to the top-of-the-line or vintage models. An interesting feature of this mode is a counting clock that marks off the number of days elapsed from the point you started, with each race or purchase counting as time elapsed. As someone outside the Ducati cult, I have to admit the premise of this game passes me by. The racing aspects of the game hold no new features when compared to the other recent releases, and graphically, the tracks and backgrounds are somewhat ordinary. Each bike model has its own characteristics, though, and the attention to detail on the bikes themselves is obvious. In the career mode, you can go into the garage and tweak your machine to purring perfection.

The controls are fairly simple to master, but at top speeds, loss of control on straightaways is not uncommon. All bikes can be shifted into gear automatically, or by the player, as an option. The analog control option gives finely tuned steering control, which comes in handy on the most challenging tracks. While this may be an ideal game during New England winters for players with a Ducati in the garage and an urge to pass the passion on to the next generation of biker, there are better options out there for racing fans who are looking for a game to show them a good time. If you’ve got the Ducati in the garage, the name alone is enough for you to buy it, no matter how mediocre I think it is. Too many details, and not enough substance.
(www.acclaim.com)