The first thing you're likely to notice is that the cars don't carry brand names but closely resemble popular models. They're given loose titles, like "muscle car," and there are a good number to choose from right at the beginning so you won't be stuck racing in a PT Cruiser. At first glance they seem to lack detail and appear very plain. This is a combination of two factors. First, if you remove the logos and name plates from a production street car you've just removed much of the detail (on most of them). Second, Burnout 2 isn't trying to look like Grand Turismo. So it's fair to say that the first impression of the graphics is a slight disappointment, but that's before you realize what the game really has to offer.

If this were just another racing game, it would be easy to criticize most of the modes for their lack of originality and detail. The scenery and tracks, all of which are open road courses with normal traffic littered throughout, are nice, but nothing to write home about. There isn't much interaction with the rest of the world because if you stray too far off the path or slam into a building your car is redirected as if by some gentle, unseen hand. But that keeps the action moving; dwelling on those imperfections would be missing the point. Weaving in and out of traffic while racing against an opponent is a frantic blast. Burnout 2 makes its mark in the interaction with other cars on the road, not the background.

Regardless of game mode, it's important to earn "boost," and there are several ways to do this: Nearly missing other cars, catching some air and, most efficient of all, driving on the wrong side of the road without hitting anyone. The resulting boost will, obviously, give you turbo boost that comes in mighty handy. The sense of speed when you hit that boost is amazing and comparable to any racing game. Everything flies right by without any jagged edges or skipping. And even though all of these skills imply that avoiding contact is key to the game, it's just a ploy to put yourself in danger. This game is all about the crashes.

"They're real, and they're spectacular." Well, these crashes aren't real, but they're spectacular. Sparks, bumpers, tires and even the cars themselves go flying on a regular basis. I can't say I've ever had an overhead view of a nine car pile-up at 90 miles an hour, but it seems realistic enough to me. You'll get different results with lighter cars than you will heavy ones, and not all semis are created equal. The ones with just a typical trailer are a lot easier to send rolling than the ones carrying a full load of lumber.

Crash mode pits you against another player in a challenge to create the most intense wreck. (Even though the box says only 1-2 players, up to four can compete in crash mode using the Playstation 2's two controllers.) The best way to measure such a contest? Insurance costs, of course! Each player gets one shot at a particular stage, usually involving a busy intersection, and once you've caused some carnage you're treated to a helicopter fly-by of the scene. The eye in the sky surveys the damage and tallies up the bill: One annihilated pickup truck: Cha-ching! A flipped semi-trailer: Cha-ching! A bus that got nailed broadside and rolled over at least three times: Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching!

You'll also be seeing a fair amount of Championship mode if you want to unlock new toys, and there are lots. Cars, Tracks, more Crash mode stages and even a few different game modes. One of those is Pursuit Mode, in which you have the honor of driving a police car and tracking down a speeder. Taking the role of the police isn't exactly trendy these days, but it's one more way to put a spin on a game that seems to exhaust almost every way of playing a racing game.

No one's going to refer to Burnout 2 as "immersive" or a "spot-on racing simulation." But it's got something a lot of other games don't: A very high fun factor that rewards skill without making it an absolute requirement. There are no consequences to this violence, no blood and no gore. The only casualties are vehicles. Will crashing cars get old after a while? Probably, and some will grow bored sooner than others. But when so many games offer hours and hours of high-difficulty, high-maintenance game play, Burnout 2: Point of Impact has something far more rare: Quick fun whenever you want it, regardless of skill or time investment.