George Lucas makes films that appeal to young and old, sci-fi buffs and "mere" movie goers alike.

With such crossover appeal, of course, if you fail to hit several birds with one stone, you may end up missing the lot.

His latest offering, Star Wars Super Bombad Racing, for the PlayStation 2, is such a dilemma.

There are eight Star Wars characters to choose from and five playing modes: Race, challenge, arena, teams and race mirror.

Tracks of varying difficulty have to be unlocked and all are scattered with obstacles to slow you down.

Power-ups and short-cuts can be picked up which give you an advantage over the opposition.

Each racer has slightly different characteristics. Size affects acceleration and the personalities of each character allow for different tricks.

But I don't understand who this game is aimed at. The game play has nothing to do with Star Wars, which can only serve to disappoint those fans.

As a kart-racing game it is mediocre at best.

The opening credits and music give a juvenile feel, yet the button combinations, tactics and the depth of some courses will only be handled by an older player.

You can't please all the people all the time, exactly what this game seems to be trying to do.

The end-result is the game is not all bad nor all good. The characters are hard to control, particularly when cornering.

Track layouts are bright, vibrant and colourful but confusing rather than cute.

They have a habit of springing corners on you rather than allowing a clear view ahead with time to prepare.

Every area was adequate but nothing about the game got me excited and, quite frankly, if I'm expected to shell out several hard-earned notes, I would expect somethingspecial.

Super Bombad Racing does not seem to have fulfilled the potential of the PlayStation 2 and has not moved the kart-racing genre on to another level, which it had the potential to do.

Price: £39.99.

Contact: www.lucasarts.com Feel good factor: 4 out of 10.