All of the riders have different skill levels, which means that different rides are better at completing different tricks and tasks. It's the same with the quad bikes, some bikes are faster, better at handling or can jump higher and further than other bikes. At first you are not able to access some of the better quads and rides but as you get more involved into the game you are given the chance to unlock these better options giving you no limit as how good your riding skills can get. As you select the ATV academy mode you can choose between control training and trick training to practice in the area where you think that your skills will be the weakest. This mode gives you both basic and advanced skills by giving you tasks to complete on the quad. The tasks you are confronted with start off easy with tasks like pulling a wheelie and stopping in a box or travelling at speed and making your quad bike rider pull a stoppie, but the more tasks you complete the harder the task you are confronted with. As you get more skilful, completing the games instructions and finishing at the finish points you will find your self being taught a whole selection of insane tricks which get more complicated as you go along. Your quad racer can even do front and back flips that gives your quad racer a freedom, once air born, to try any trick or trick combination you desire. The training mode is very good fun to just learn new tricks or improve your skills but once you think you have an accurate control over your rider you are ready to race against other competitive riders to find out who is the overall quad racing champion. When you think you are ready it is time to test your racing ability in the career mode. In career mode you are given the chance to race against up to 6 other competitive quad riders on a number of all terrain tracks. You get the choice to race against different skill levels of riders in either amateur, professional or superstar mode but until you have mastered amateur mode you are not given the chance to race against the more talented riders. The further you get in the career mode the more challenging the course get but by getting further into the game you are given the chance to unlock new quads and riders which is all well worth it. By making your rider perform tricks during races you are given bonus points and these points help by increasing yours riders skill rating. But getting a better skill level for your quad and rider is important as well as fun because your rider will need all of the skill and control they can get as you are up against some pretty competitive riders who want to win just as badly as you do. To qualify for the next championship races you must skilfully guide your rider into the top three positions but this is not as easy as it sounds. A nice option as you are playing the game is the option of being able to look behind you at any stage in the game, you will find your self using this option as you get more involved in the games depth and look to see if your competitors are gaining on you.

In the Arcade mode again you have the choice between a number of riders and quads but as well as riding against other riders you will find your self against the clock. As you start each race, again, you have to pick your quad bike choosing your quads best ability's which lists from the quads top speed, acceleration, handling, stability and the all important air rating. You can give the rider any name you like naming them after you or your friends, it's your choice. A useful guide is given to you as you start every race that is a racing tip this is listed on the screen as you prepare to start a new race. This can help if you are not familiar with a track you are about to race on. When you pause the game you can choose between 6 different cameras views so that you can personalise your game play you are also given the option to have vibrating joy pad turned on or off which when on can give you a deeper involvement into the game. The further your rider gets into the game the higher their skill level will be and the tricks you perform will just get better and better giving you more points and more confidence to try higher and more daring tricks all from the safety of being behind your joy pad.
If you don't have time to get deeply involved in either arcade or career mode and just want to squeeze a quick few goes into your busy lifestyle you are given the option of just having a single race or time trial mode. In single race mode you can also have a multi player mode so that you can test your quad racing ability's against your friends, which means that every one is a winner. Again you are given all the options for choosing your quad and rider but can just race against either the clock or other riders on any tracks that you have unlocked. Even if you just want to practice on a track or mess around this mode is good with out you having to get to involved into the game. But beware once you have picked up the joy pad you wont want to put it down in a hurry!

For all those people who really like to push their rider to their limits freestyle mode is the one for you. The tracks you are given to ride on are awesome with giant jumps and even loop the loop ramps which nearly defy the laws of gravity, some jumps even sending you air born over cars or trucks. You even have the option of being able to balance your quad on its back or front wheels by either doing a wheelie or a stoppie. To jump the quad bike you can either get high air off the top of ramps or just jump from being on the ground by pressing the button allocated for jumping. By holding this button down you can determine how bigger jump you want your quad to complete and by doing this off the top of a ramp you can get some really big air, if you do this you can pull off some awesome tricks or stunts. The aim of this mode is to perform as many tricks as you can in the time limit given. The bigger or longer the jump, or the more complicated the tricks combination you perform the more points you are awarded. You will need these points to earn medals allowing you to unlock better bikes and riders who can perform more daring tricks. At the end of a go all the tricks that your rider has preformed are listed so that you can see how well you have done. Information that you are given includes the best trick combo, the biggest air, best stoppie, hoopas, cages and also has a hall of fame for the biggest and longest jump ever done on the course you are against.

If freestyle mode is not exciting enough for you then challenge mode may be the one for you. In this mode you can either choose between ground or tower challenge and are given challenging courses to complete in the best possible times. Depending on what time you complete the courses in will determine your ranking giving you a time worthy of either a gold, silver or bronze medal. Tower challenge in this mode is really good fun. You will find your self trying to jump and balance your quad bike over challenging courses constructed from all kinds of objects including crates, planks of wood and giant metal tubes. Your rider starts on ground level and your objective is to work your way to the finish line, which is usually really high up, as the stages components build into a tower. You can really get involved when playing this mode and really get a feel for the height of the stages, which is good when you accidentally loose control of your rider and fall off a high beam or post you may be trying to balance your way across.

I would really advise ATV2 quad power racing to all game players who enjoy this type of challenge. The game is really playable and with over 30 freestyle tricks that you can perform, trick combos that you can design are endless. The games music is fun and does not get boring it just seems to fit in with the game play and finishes the game off nicely. The 3D graphics during the game are well detailed and flow really smoothly really giving you the closest feel you could get to being on a quad bike from the safety of your own home. Once you start playing this game you wont want to put it down, it is definitely a game that will keep you amused for hours upon end.

8 out of 10