Wired World . Games

Need for speed

Burned out by back-to-school traffic? Here's your answer

By Shaun Conlin

Did You Know : In some countries, racing simulation games are used as  therapy to stop people from joyriding.

GAME: Burnout 3: Takedown
GAME TYPE: Racing
PUBLISHER: EA
GAME HARDWARE: PlayStation 2/Xbox
GAME RATING: Teen
REVIEWER'S OPINION: 4.5 out of 5

While most racing games reward you for winning, Burnout 3: Takedown is all about the havoc you wreak along the way.

With typical (i.e. good) EA production values, Takedown is gorgeous, intuitively controlled and realistically convincing as you rip along highways and city streets, nudging other cars into the path of a bus, or maybe pushing them up a convenient slope for spectacular stunts gone horribly wrong.

While it's not a driving simulation requiring nimble clutch-control, Burnout 3 is very attentive to the science of high-speed collision � glass shatters and car parts fly like a Charlie's Angels chase scene. What's more, your creations of mayhem are rewarded with turbo boosters, which are needed for both winning (in touring mode) and wreaking more havoc.

As if that's not enough, you can even take Takedown online for some multiplayer pandemonium with your buddies. This game offers some truly great stuff. � Cox News Service

HINTS AND TIPS

Baffled by brakes? Confused by clutches? Best head for www.gamewinners.com/xbox/Burnout3.htm for cheat codes for the Xbox, or www.neoseeker.com/Games/cheats/PS2/burnout_3.html for the PlayStation 2.

Vocabulary

therapy (n): the treatment of a problem or an illness
joyriding (n): the crime of stealing a car and driving it for pleasure, usually in a fast and dangerous way
havoc (n): a situation in which there is a lot of damage, destruction or disorder
wreak (v): to do great damage or harm to somebody/something
gorgeous (adj): very beautiful and attractive
intuitive (adj): (of ideas) obtained by using your feelings rather than by considering the facts
nudge (n): a slight push
nimble (adj): able to move quickly and easily
mayhem (n): confusion and fear
pandemonium (n): a situation in which there is a lot of noise, activity and confusion

Idiom

burned out: to be extremely tired or sick by working too hard over a period of time