The game of motocross has been redefined time and time again over the years, with a number of releases coming out and promising to come through with dominance. Excitebike 64 arrived for the Nintendo 64 a few years ago and did very well for the platform; EA Sports Big's Freekstyle turned out to be an incredibly durable affair, complete with incredible speed and insane stunts; and even the recent release of MX Unleashed turned a few heads, complete with the kind of mind-numbing stunts (jumping over a biplane, anyone?) that would make anyone wet their shorts at the thought to try the thing in real life.

Now comes Activision's entry into the gate, Left Field Production's MTX Mototrax. Cchances are you might have seen a game like this before, as it seems to follow a similar formula to THQ's previous MX games, right down to the use of a clutch for tight situations and jump preparations. But a game done right and playing well still deserves props, and that's what Mototrax manages to do. It also deserves kudos for providing a visual experience that's very surprising, as well as being able to go online- something that MX Unleashed sorely lacks.

The game pits you in a number of motocross competitions, including Supercross, Freestyle, Free Ride, and Motocross. Of course, Freestyle and Free Ride are built to test your skills and allow you to get a grip of the game's enjoyable combo system (which uses multipliers that allow you to link moves together while still trying to time your landing perfectly enough), and the Supercross and Motocross let you go at it against a few other bikers for first place. The detail in each of these tracks is staggering, whether it be a typical dirt track or a lush tropical getaway where you can cruise past the terrain and practically feel the breeze. Left Field has put together an engine that consists of good animation, nice details, and a zippy frame rate that doesn't quit, only slightly bogging down when too much is happening.

The game's modes are comprehensive enough, although a couple seem to be lacking. Freestyle and Free Ride, for instance, don't seem to offer the kind of challenges that I thought they could, and they feel a bit empty in comparison to the other modes. However, Activision has made up for this with the addition of online play, where you can challenge a friend ala a GameSpy network and link up to eight people in one race for mud-kicking dominance. The online play seems to run pretty smoothly, and the lobby interface holds up well, especially considering that Activision didn't build one themselves.

The game does have plenty of challenges, and the AI seems to be balanced enough to keep you going. With each win, you can pick up some extra cash and buy yourself some new sponsors or threads or Free Ride/Freestyle challenges, which add to the experience but somehow still don't add to the depth of Free Ride/Freestyle itself. No biggie, there's still so much to unlock and so much fun to have on the tracks you probably won't care.

The gameplay utilizes a formula that includes the necessary use of a clutch, which comes in handy for jump timing, allowing you to get some serious air for tricks. This is where the game's combo engine comes into play, as you can pull off a number of tricks and try to link them together to add to your score. This is not an easy combo system ala Tony Hawk Underground, but it's one that works because, like MX Unleashed, it challenges you to pull off big moves and yet have the ability to land your bike without falling dead on your biking ass. I didn't notice anything amazingly new about the gameplay, but at least it works, for what's involved.

As for the game's sound, it holds up okay. The sound effects work well, right down to the roar of the bikes, but the music soundtrack's a bit questionable. It's definitely leaning towards the hard side, with the inclusion of such artists as Slipknot and Dope, among others. It's not an entirely bad soundtrack, as Jet, Metallica, and The Stooges are also included, but it would have been nice to have a little variety, ala True Crime: Streets of LA, which used multiple soundtracks for the game. Oh well, something to try for next time, right? Mototrax 2 can't be far behind.

For you motocross fans, MTX Mototrax also boasts a number of pro riders, as well as official bikes from Yama, Suzuki, and Kawasaki, and, yes, you can buy upgrades to get the utmost performance out of your ride, which is kind of cool if you're into that.

MTX Mototrax hasn't changed a thing as far as the motocross gaming world is concerned, as there's still the winners and losers around it as there were before and it doesn't really set itself apart with anything original, with the exception of online play. However, that doesn't make it a bad experience at all. Sure, a couple of things could have used tweaking, but overall, the ride is refreshingly fun and the graphics and gameplay get the job done when you're flying across the finish line. If the word motocross sends you into even the slightest quiver, you'll definitely want to check out Mototrax.