Cartoon Network Racing, developed by Cartoon Network Interactive and The Game Factory is a fantastic new racing game that features all of the favorite characters regularly on the Cartoon Network's weekly lineup. GameDaily was lucky to obtain a preview build of this upcoming racing game that's going to be tons of fun for kids, parents and any fan of racing games.

When beginning the game, there are only nine characters available, out of a possible twenty. In those nine are favorites like Johnny Bravo, all three of the Powerpuff Girls and even Cow and Chicken (as two separate racers). When scrolling over each character on the bottom screen, the characters car and stats are displayed on the top. Each one's car is specified on four separate things: Top Speed, Acceleration, Handling, and Weight. A light and fast car is great to drive, just make sure not to hit anything because that will really derail you. A heavier car with less acceleration seems to solely rely on the 'slow and steady wins the race' train of thought, which isn't always so bad. This reviewer favored Buttercup the most out of the regular nine, not only for her car's great stats, but also because she is the most kick-butt of the Powerpuff Girls. Let's get racing!

The first track is Aaron City Speedway, the first of a total of sixteen racetracks available to unlock. A straightforward track that let's the gamer learn all of the nuances of the game. When racing, there are yellow and red arrows along sides of the tracks; when passed over them, it gives an extra boost along the way. Though there are also blue arrows that point away from the track, and will slightly tug the car to the side if it passes over them. There are also random oil spills to avoid as well.

Every now and then along the track are rows of purple boxes with question marks in them. If you are lucky enough to grab one, it can help you out by giving you a bunch of cool little extras including a set of three homing missiles, chile peppers to help you speed along, and even a shield to protect you from other racers. After collecting a purple box, what was inside is displayed on the lower left side of your screen, and just press the upper left side button to use it.

After three laps, everyone's stats is recorded and the next race begins. After three races, if you've finished in the top three, three more racetracks are unlocked, including a time trial mode. This is a favorite, because with time trial, any track that has been previously raced, can be used alone. The record for the track is displayed, and also the last previous attempt if there was one. On any try racing that's not the first, a 'ghost' of how was last raced is also along, which is a cool little addition. After the first three tracks are won, for every set of three races that you place, another trio of tracks is unlocked until all sixteen are available.

When races are won, coins are won too, and those can be used to unlock a lot more in the Toon-Up Shop. Inside, available for purchase with your coins are mini-games, more characters, and faster characters. When faster characters are unlocked, you can choose to use your racers souped-up, soupered-up, or even flipped-out. (And let me tell you, those are fun!) There even what seem to be full thirty minute episodes of Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab and more.

This is just a preview of the game and it is pretty darn impressive. Though the full critique will be saved until the final version comes out; because the only complaint is that in order to utilize multi-player, you need more than one game card. Hopefully that's not case, but be sure to check back in when the full review comes out in November, the same time the game is due to hit shelves.