EA has done it again. The company was the first to release a football game, a soccer game, a hockey game, and a Nascar game for the PS2. Now, it has also released the first F1 title in F1 Championship Season 2000.

To start, the title has a very impressive look to it. The cars and drivers are highly detailed and move with a fluid motion at all times. During the replays, which are oddly only accessible during actual gameplay, the vehicles look so incredible from the different camera angles that some may think you're watching the race live on television.

The tracks themselves are very nicely done as well. Nascar's biggest graphical flaw was with its tracks, as they were full of jaggies all over the place. Not so in F1, the tracks are just as detailed in the distance as they are close up.

The title also sports some of the most amazing smoke effects we've ever seen. When the tires start screeching, you sometimes have to change views in order to see because the smoke blocks your view. Don't get confused, however, as this effect is truly breathtaking and by no means a hassle.

F1 also comes complete with some very impressive sound. Before each race, the announcer gives an intro and introduces each car and driver. While he only speaks during this little intro and the voice isn't of the best quality, he is a welcomed addition and helps create the racing atmosphere quite nicely.

The car sound effects are top-notch whether it's the hum of your engine, you opponents whizzing by you, or the screeching of the smoking tires, it's all there and tremendous. You'd swear you were sitting in the driver's seat yourself and, with the right camera view, you can!

Obviously, the game is full of different menus before and after races. These are used for car customization, mode selection, etc... While they are done nicely and are not a huge pain to navigate through, there really is nothing innovative here.

EA could have gone two ways with their latest F1 title, as the PSX version is a straight arcade racer while the PC version is an amazing F1 simulator. Well, EA chose the wrong path with this one; the title is in no way a simulator.

EA has said that it looks towards gameplay more than true to life physics and other parts that make up a simulator. While that may sound good at first, the attitude may lead to failure in the long run.

Think about it; would a game of Madden be any fun if you destroyed the computer AI with a 75-point lead on the hardest setting? We don't think so either. Sure, an arcade sports title can be fun, look at NFL Blitz for example, but simulators usually provide longer replay values.

In F1, there comes a point in advanced mode where you must finish a track in Spain in under 1:11 (the actual record for the track is 1:24 so that should tell you something) and the computer AI will clock in around 1:06. You too are expected to race at that level eventually so you can see how forgiving this one is.

Speaking of AI, F1 sports some of the worst AI imaginable. The AI in a racing game usually drives very well on the track, at a good speed, making slow turns, and staying on a set line on the road. None of that happens in F1.

Usually, your opponents are raving lunatics apparently suffering from a bad case of road rage. They usually end up crashing into each other by accident and seem to be programmed to go after you at all costs. Is Sarah Conner driving your car or what (I'll be back)?

The game suffers from a huge lack in modes as well. The single player contains only a single race, championship season, and custom season (you choose the order of the tracks) and the multiplayer mode contains only split screen and time trials where players compete for the best time.

Sure, there are a few customizable options, like the extent of damage (none, forgiving, or realistic) and whether you burn fuel and wear tires, but most of these can only be accessed in the championship season.

Setting the damage amount to realistic is a huge mistake. One hit and your wing flies right off and your tires bend out of alignment, meaning you probably won't even make it to the pit stop for repairs; you're done for. With the poor AI, that scenario happens almost every race.