Angel Studios is proving to be one of the better developers working on Playstation 2. First came the deviously delightful Smugglers Run and now they give us Midnight Club. While both games appear to be cut from the same cloth there are enough differences and graphical nuances in Midnight Club to warrant purchasing both titles.

You are a member of a secret gathering of urban streetracers who cruise the streets of London and New York searching for a few thrills and spills. Okay so this premise has been done before but what is old shall be shiny and new again, thanks to the graphic power of PS2. Everything on screen looks fantastic. Buildings are detailed and all the lamp posts, mail boxes, phone booths and even the trash bags are rendered in full polygon glory. Each and every one of these onscreen items can be run over or knocked down. Every city has its share of traffic and these are no exception. Cars move along realistically, changing lanes and abiding stop lights.

Lets not forget the innocent pedestrians who are always good for a few laughs and releasing some tension. City dwellers attempt to dive out of your way, curse when you nearly hit them and squeal when you plow them over or knock them flying. The cities are near accurate reproductions of the real thing and are so large that you could spend hours just cruising around them. I spent nearly three hours just driving around London and taking in the sights. The graphics for the different weather conditions are equally impressive, your jaw will drop when you see the rain under the street lamps and your cars highbeams reflected in road puddles. Even pop up is kept to an effective minimum and rarely rears its ugly head.

The cars, while not based on real models, are thoughtfully designed, with the ever popular environment mapping and area specific damage. There are plenty of vehicles to choose from many of which unlock as you progress through the game. The game offers several modes of play such as career mode in which you work your way through the ranks of streetracers challenging them to different races and earning new cars. Arcade mode allows you to jump right in and compete in a variety of races from Way Point races to Head to Head competitions. There is a nice Capture the Flag mode you can play with a friend and the always welcome Cruise option, which allows you to do a little sight seeing with no time limits or pesky objectives to get in your way.

Control is tight and not an ounce of simulation creeps in to spoil the smooth and responsive drive. Those of you looking for Gran Turismo styling may want to look elsewhere this is pure arcade racing. In most respects this is a very solid game but it is not without it's minor faults. First off the music is the pits, being both annoyingly repetitive and bland in nature. Secondly two fully realized cities while great, just don't feel like enough. I wanted to cruise around Los Angeles and see the Convention Centre or San Francisco, sure they've been done before in games like Driver but the developers had a real chance to outdo the guys at Reflection.

Replay value shouldn't be a concern, there is enough to do here to keep you busy for hours on end, weeks at a time. Also the difficulty ramps up at a nice steady pace so you won't be sailing through this to quickly. This is a nice addition to the PS2 library of games and shows the potential of Angel Studios, I only hope that the developers don't pigeon hole themselves into this category and give us some fresh and new ideas with their next batch of games.