Capcom's new Auto Modellista does many things well that its recent Group S Challenge failed to do. For one thing, it is actually a lot of fun to play. The unapologetic arcade-like feel established by the game's unique (at least for a racing game) cel-shaded graphics combined with some nice simulation elements in controlling and upgrading the cars, proved just the ticket for a game simply a blast to play. Add in Xbox Live support and a garage mode that lets the players do all sorts of fun things to their cars, and you've got a package most Xbox racing fans will want to pick up and try.

The presentation of the game is simply brilliant. All the option menus scream top-rate planning. Everything is easy to navigate and pulls the player into exploring all the different avenues the menu options lead down.

Garage Life is the "career" mode of Auto Modellista. In this mode the player gets to initially choose cars from 14 different licensed manufactures and an additional three once they are unlocked. Once selected, the player can do all sorts of cool things to modify his car in areas of performance and appearance. These upgrades are not bought with money but rather unlocked as the player races. Whether the player comes in first or last, there is always something added to his inventory at the conclusion of a race. It may be something as small as a new decal, but it is a great incentive to keep racing. A player may actually have more than one car in his sub-garage of vehicles and tweak their performance for different types of courses. Or one car may also be quick-tuned for a given course via the easy-tune feature.

Garage Life doesn't stop with the car either. The actual garage may be customized too. Individual items like tool boxes, posters, tire racks, etc. may be placed almost anywhere in the player's garage. A very nice little touch and a way for the player to put his stamp on how the game feels.

In the Arcade mode, players participate in single races with stock cars or with their customized vehicles. The game's AI is adjustable but always gives a good account of itself. Other play modes include split-screen racing between two players on one Xbox and time-attack races against ghost cars for fast times.

A real star of the game is the ability to race up to seven other players via Xbox Live. All the cars the player has built up in Garage Life are available for use. Cars can even be traded among players. The Xbox Live option cannot be overestimated as a means to keep players coming back to this game again and again.

Auto Modellista does walk a fine line in the actual playing department. Combining some pretty real physics of car handling with a non-existent damage model is always tricky, but the game manages to pull it off pretty well. Just bouncing off walls seems to slow the car down way too much to be a truly effective means of winning races.

Control is terrific. The car responds well overall with just a little bit of an over-steering problem when using the standard Xbox controller. Using the manual-recommended MadCatz MC2 steering wheel brings it up to almost perfect. For a real trip, use the MC2 steering wheel with standard transmission setting on one of the curvy downhill runs. It's a super test of driving skills! I found the ability to completely customize the controls of the standard controller to be a big plus too. I prefer the right trigger as the accelerator rather than the default A button. Auto Modellista lets me have that.

The visuals the player is treated to in Auto Modellista are nothing short of amazing. The cars all look like their real-life counterparts, but with a cartoonish effect that is undeniably appealing. Add to that well-detailed backgrounds and some anime-style visual elements that truly impart a sense of speed, and you've got a feast for the eyes second to none.

Sound is not quite up to par with the graphics. Sound effects are all serviceable and add to the gameplay. The music is just okay. I'd like to choke the in-game announcer. His words of "encouragement" annoy the hell out of me after a while. As with Group S Challenge, Capcom decided not to support the custom soundtracks feature of the Xbox. Unforgivable! It cost them a full point on the sound score.