Cars: Radiator Springs 500

Cars was a 2006 animated film from Pixar featuring a cast of anthropomorphic automobiles. That's the Wikipedia definition bit done and dusted. More significantly, as a brand it was – and continues to be – a license to print money. You'll find the googly eyed vehicles on lunch boxes, T-shirts and mugs all over the country as kids (and adults who should know better) continue to lap up the merchandise for their favourite fender-bending flick.

This ongoing interest in the brand has led to the release of Cars: Radiator Springs 500, some two years after the film found its way onto our cinema screens. But is it a cynical wring-every-last-drop-out-of-the-franchise effort or a creditable mobile game in its own right? The answer, rather unhelpfully, is a bit of both. Let us elaborate.

Taking the form of a 3D racer (quelle surprise), the main focus of the game lies with the single-player Tournament mode. Here you'll race on a selection of increasingly elaborate tracks through various themed environments, accruing points in time-honoured fashion and unlocking further cars (each with their own special abilities) for your use. The visuals are clear and functional, though you'll be hard pressed to pick out any recognizable faces from the racing pack thanks to a fairly rudimentary game engine.

So far, so ordinary.

But where the game surprised and impressed us was with its willingness to incorporate fresh new features onto what is an admittedly staid formula. Take, for instance, the introduction of oil slicks. When you first encounter them you'll be encouraged to avoid them, as they will rather predictably cause you to lose traction on corners. However when racing as Giovanni they can be utilized to provide a temporary speed increase via a well timed stab of the 'up' key (which by itself accesses a finite supply of speed boosts).

Another neat feature arrives a few races in, when a tyre and fuel gauge are introduced. On some of the longer races you're required to make a pit stop or else run the risk of crashing out or running out of fuel, depending on what gives first. Once in the pit stop itself you encounter another of the game's fresh diversions – a mini-game involving a simple memory test. Recall the correct order of nuts and bolts used in the pit stop and you're returned to the track in double fast time.

Admittedly none of these features proves defining or even especially well executed. However, they do suggest to us that the developer has at least tried to raise the game above the raft of generic licensed products on the market. Further additions such as the Build-a-Track feature, while basic, add to the value of the package.

Perhaps most importantly, given its target audience, we can see that younger gamers would have a lot of fun with Cars: Radiator Springs 500. It's clearly presented and extremely accessible, with a supremely forgiving difficulty curve. Experienced gamers will breeze through the game without batting an eyelid but, let's face it, this is not for them.

And that's where our final recommendation lies. If you're of an age where you think that Cars lunchbox your best mate has is really cool, then Cars: Radiator Springs 500 is seriously worth your consideration. For the rest of us it's a pretty run-of-the-mill experience lifted slightly by some neat, thoughtful touches.