The latest game from Sidhe is a great example of good old Kiwi ingenuity. GripShift, at face value, appears to be just another car racing game. All these illusions are, however, quickly dispelled when you first hit the track. Most racing games proudly extol the detail and graphic excellence of their trackside scenery. No such clatter in this game. The tracks hang suspended in the air, a la Super Monkey Ball. The fluff is gone and it's all about the racing. Well, not quite - there is also the puzzles and the mini games.

The game starts off by allowing you to select your car and your driver. There are four initial drivers to start with a further four being unlocked later in the game. The choice of driver does not seem to directly affect the game, however in the case of car selection there is a huge difference. Each of the six cars you can choose from have different handling abilities. Initially it's recommended that you chose one with easier handling and sacrifice speed and boost. Once you get the hang of the game you can move onto the move challenging vehicles.

The game concept is to race your car over a track to collect awards, special icons, beat an opponent and beat the clock - or combinations of them all. Thankfully the earlier tracks introduce you to some of the game dynamics before putting too much of a challenge in front of you. What strikes you first about these tracks is that they are tight in width, have no fences and they hang in the air. And it is very easy to fly off.

The tracks become increasingly more complex in design, with tight spirals, hair-raising jumps and some interesting puzzle elements. One of the ways to accrue points is to pick up the GripShift icon. These are not on the track but rather are usually hidden on little hanging islands. To reach them you need to jump off the track at just the right time, pick up the icon and then work out how to get back onto the track. This is not the only puzzle element, with the tracks themselves representing a challenge. Later tracks include moving platforms that you need to race onto, brake and wait till you are levitated to the other side. Sometime there are multiple routes you can take and generally there is more than one way to complete a track.