The main mode in the game is the 'Go Underground' mode which covers the story behind the game. The player takes the role of an up-and-coming driver trying to make it in the world of illegal street racing. By competing in and winning over a hundred events the player can become the top driver. There are several types of events, most of which are straight racing events. The normal variations are here, including circuit racing, point-to-point and lap knockout. Most of the events are single races, with some tournaments mixed in.

As well as the normal racing events two other race types have been added to Underground, Drift and Drag. Drift is played on a small custom track with various tight corners to navigate. Instead of trying to get the best time racers must compete to get the most amount of Drift. The cars have been slightly modified for this event allowing players to build up drift quite easily. There is so little grip on the tyres that it almost appears that the cars are on ice. Large chains of drift can be built up and more skillful players will be able to traverse large sections of the track without stopping a drift chain. The main obstacle to this are the walls surrounding the track, and hitting one of these will lose the player the points they had on the current string.

Drag racing is just as it sounds, and takes racers onto a largely straight section of track for a race that will generally last between 30-40 seconds. All cars in this event are configured for manual gear changes, and the timing of the changes is one of the the main factors of success. Changing gears at the wrong time can lead to slowing down the acceleration of the car, and can quite often lead to a loss. Thankfully the game provides a large tachometer at the side of the screen for drag races to help with seeing exactly where to change gear. Traffic still complicates most drag races so the player still needs to worry about steering. For drag races though it has been simplified. The road is divided up into lanes and pressing left or right will shift you into an adjacent lane.

Both the Drift and the Drag events are fun diversions from the main racing part of the game. They both appear throughout the main Underground mode and winning these events is essential to progressing through the game, elevating them from being mere side games. Drag races are especially exciting and quite a bit of speed can be built up. Traffic can be a bit of a hassle on some tracks though, especially the cross traffic. With the amount of speed built up there is generally nothing a driver can do if cross traffic appears, even with quick reaction times. It can be quite annoying to have built up the perfect race with a great start and well-timed gear changes only to be taken out by a truck that crosses your path. Indeed there have been several races we've run where multiple restarts are needed for this very reason. It would have been a lot less frustrating if cross traffic were removed from the event totally.

Most races start with somebody signalling that start. Getting used to how each starter moves and how they time the beginning of the race can improve the take-off, especially in an event like Drag where the right start is critical to success. It's a nice touch, and makes a great change from the normal starting countdown in most racing games. The racing itself is indeed, to use a cliche, fast and furious. There is a real sense of speed when driving especially in the first person view. In the default third-person the race seems quite slow in comparison, almost pedestrian. Most of the action in the game runs at a high pace with only the odd moment of slowdown. The cars themselves handle fairly well. The orientation is definitely towards the arcade side of driving rather than simulation. The Need For Speed games have always been that way though, and make no apologies for it. These type of games are made for arcade racing. Cars slide around turns, and getting a bit of drift on isn't too difficult. Employing a touch of the handbrake can help to get around the tighter corners to the extent that the proper racing line is often not the best option.

The races are generally quite competitive, with the AI cars racing aggressively. It is not uncommon to be pushed into oncoming traffic. Part of the competitiveness of each race is the apparent use of catch-up in the game. A 10 second lag behind the leader can be made up in a few short corners, while a lead is never very large. This is not to say that the races are easy, or that wiping out too often will not affect the race outcome. Rather that the game gives both player and AI chances throughout the race to compete for the lead if they drive well. Still, an option to switch the catch-up off would have been good.

Almost more important than the races are the cars that race in those events. Underground provides a reasonable selection of basic car models to choose from. These can then be modified, changing the visual look of the car and its performance. The range of modifications is quite impressive, with a lot of options to unlock. More modification on the car will increase its Reputation within the racing fraternity. The visual modifications available range from larger parts such as bumpers, spoilers and headlights through to more esoteric changes like a new paintjob or manufacturer's decals across the car. The performance modifications can include improved transmission, brakes, turbo and even the addition of nitrous oxide to provide a measured boost in a race. Employing these type of modifications is quite necessary for the game. Not adding anything to the car will eventually make races too hard to compete in.

All of the modifications available are branded, with a wide range of actual manufacturers represented. Car nuts will find a lot here to play around with, and while it doesn't go into the level of detail that a game like Gran Turismo 3 goes into Underground still provides a lot of scope for customisation especially with the visual modifications. Possibly the only extra we would have wanted for customisation would be to be able to design decals and vinyls ourselves rather than choosing from the large number in the game.

At the start of the game virtually all the mods are locked and unavailable for use. Winning events will unlock some of these. Collecting Style Points will unlock the rest. Style points are accumulated while participating in every event, whether they win or lose. Drivers can accumulate these points in a number of ways, including drifting, avoiding traffic, slipstreaming, finding shortcuts and getting airborne. Points can be lost for such things as collisions with other cars and walls. Driving cleanly will obviously net more points. These points are then multiplied by the car's Reputation, which is calculated by the amount of modification that has been done on the car.

All the action takes place in a city at night. The same city. While this is fine for the first part of the game after a while it becomes rather monotonous. Some daylight stages or some stages in a completely different location would have been welcome. Not only are all the courses in the same city, they are also based on the same set of roads. After the first few races there will be no racetrack that is totally unfamiliar, all of them contain portions that have been seen previously. While this is good in terms of getting an advantage in a race by knowing a series of corners better, it does add a certain dullness to the game. Once they figure this out player's level of excitement will take a dive, as they realise that nothing completely original will be seen as they play further. Introducing a new city or a new location partway through would have done wonders for Underground. It is not as if the developers are unfamiliar with good track design either. The tracks in Hot Pursuit 2 had a lot of variety and some great locations. The variety of the cities, forests and deserts of that game have given way to the homogenous city of Underground.

Aside from the major flaw of the setting becoming quite boring each track is reasonably well designed. Most contain a good mix of wide, sweepng corners with a few tight corners that need a bit more technique. While not as numerous as in Hot Pursuit 2, there are still a few shortcuts available for the driver to try out. As with last year though, many of these shortcuts do not provide an actual advantage in the race. The course design is good enough to be able to give players a fast track that is suited to this style of driving. The numerous sharper corners seen in other street racers do not appear here, with Underground opting for a more open, possibly easier track design. One annoying thing about the design though, is the occasional absence of a barrier to an out-of-bounds area. Players will often drive into these areas thinking them to be shortcuts only for the game to reset them onto the racetrack. They are not common and can be avoided once a player knows they are there, but there existence does seem a pity when the rest of the track is so well presented.

One of the main features of most racing games is the replay feature. Allowing a player to get a good look at their driving style, seeing where they went wrong on a track, seeing how the other drivers gained a place or lost one, or just letting players relive a close victory. This is what replays are for and why they are so important in driving games. Which is why we're mystified at their omission in Underground. The total lack of them in any mode is quite baffling and very annoying. It may not fit with the whole underground racing premise of the game, but at least the option to implement them should have been there. For Underground, not only would a player want to analyse or relive a race but they would also want to check out their ride. After kitting out their car with new gear players should be able to admire their work in a replay. As it stands they can only do that in a race while in third person view, and not at all if driving in the first person view.

As well as replays Underground also omits high score tables from any of the race events. Although the best time for each track is kept in the Quick Race section getting a high score for an event does not elicit a comment from the game. This could easily have been expanded to provide a bit more replayability. A fully-functional high score table showing the amount of traffic and which car was used for each event would have been great to see.

Graphically Underground sits in the top echelon of games. The city at night is brilliantly realised here. Lights flash and flicker, and the surrounding area is well detailed. The road is almost constantly slick looking, as if after a fresh downpour of rain, and the environment is well reflected off it. Certain effects such as water splashing up from a puddle are well done and very believable. Even better than the environment are the cars, which look and move well. The cut-away shots to crashes are where we mainly get to see the cars, and these are well animated with some very impressive crashes possible. Again there is disappointment that the lack of replays restricts us from admiring the look of the game from anything other than the driving seat.

As with last year's game Underground excels in the sound department. Sporting a killer soundtrack that includes the likes of Asian Dub Foundation, Crystal Method, Rob Zombie and the X-ecutioners Underground sounds great both in the menu system and while racing. Starting with a default split with more hip hop tracks between races and a more techno soundtrack during racing tracks can be swapped around to play in different parts of the game, or taken out altogether. Overall though it is a good mix that largely stays interesting throughout.

Over the top of the soundtrack the actual noises of a race are well done. The engine noise is especially good, complete with the hiss of changing gears. A virtual roar at the start of the race, the engines markedly grow quieter depending on who is around you. Quietest if a player is driving on their own, opponents will quite often be heard before being seen especially if they are coming from behind. It's an excellent way to tell if another car is trying to overtake. Similarly the distinctive sound of nitrous oxide can be clearly heard, letting the player know if a nearby driver is getting a boost.