Along with money, you will earn points that you can use to increase your driver's attributes. This is called the driver induction system, and it serves to make your character more skilled in racing. It's a leveling-up process similar to a RPG. The character that you choose at the outset will directly affect your performance. Choosing a less experienced driver is like choosing an easy difficulty setting. You'll get more assistance from the CPU. The hardened veteran is on his own, and while it may be tougher to race with less assistance, you'll be rewarded with more money and points for your efforts.

ProStreet is loaded with racing modes, but aside from the Career mode, they all pale in comparison to the multiplayer modes. You can play wireless ad-hoc, or online. As the game becomes popular you shouldn't have any trouble finding a racing partner. The game bends over backwards to assist getting you into a race. I didn't experience any latency or other problems. The game ran smoothly on all accounts.

Graphically the game is impressive. The tracks are huge and filled with colorful detail. The only complaint that I have is the motion blur that occurs when you're approaching top speed. What is supposed to convey a sense of speed manages instead to instill motion sickness in the player, in addition to obscuring the cool looking graphics. You can import your own tunes, so you had better not complain about the music. The roar of the engines and the squeals of the tires are almost as impressive as the graphics, even without headphones. All components mesh together like a finely tuned machine.

Need For Speed ProStreet may not break new ground, but it treads it like never before.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer