With a clichéd yet clever name, Jeep Thrills is a basic no frills racing game for the Nintendo Wii that allows the gamer to race cross country from the jungles of Central America to the frozen Alaskan tundra which is actually very diverse in terms of environments and for a racing game.

If you think this game sounds familiar, that's because Jeep Thrills was originally a PlayStation 2 game that unfortunately didn't fare too well on this console. Unfortunately, again, the Nintendo Wii version is a little lackluster when compared to other third party racing games. Even so, Jeep Thrills is aimed at the budget market which questions the scales of purchasing an old game as compared to one that is lacking its merits.

Features:

- Nearly 20 drivable custom-colored Jeep® vehicles-from the classic World War II body style to
- 36 unique outdoor race tracks.
- Course spread over six diverse environments- race through hilled jungles, frozen tundra, and treacherous mountain conditions
- Find the secret passages on each race track to improve lap times

Gameplay wise, Jeep Thrills controls ok on the Nintendo Wii with the wireless controllers, although when it comes to extras, the title is lacking that true "racing" sensation. Sure the gameplay throws in a few twists such as boosts as secrets plus the ability of ramming other players off the track which is fun, that's probably about it.

Fortunately, the developers have ensured that you can use the uniqueness of the controller to use as a wheel which actually works quite well in conjunction with the button 2 which is used to accelerate and the button 1 to brake (never used) and Boost on the control pad.

The gameplay modes in Jeep Thrills include "Group Race", Tournament, Custom Race and Multiplayer. Multiplayer is unfortunately only local and there is no online option. Tournament is probably the best mode by far, ensuring a vast racing experience that is only limited by the repetitive gameplay of the title.

When it comes to tracks, the designers have created some interesting gameplay environments, each with their own pros and cons such as jumps and other hidden gems to assist in your race. The jeeps that are available to the player are also quite diverse from modern Jeeps to those classic World War II army jeeps.

Graphically, Jeep Thrills is a little plain at the best of times, even the jeeps themselves seem a little low resolution. The colour palette, unlike other games is quite muted which may have been a result of the conversion from one system to the other. One saving grace is that the environments are quite different where you race, however at the end, Jeep Thrills seems a little like Cheap Thrills in the graphic department.

In conclusion, Jeep Thrills had everything needed for a non mainstream racing game, Jeeps and cross country environments, however it seemed like the developers were banking on their former laurels from the PlayStation 2. The gameplay is unfortunately un-inspirational as are the graphics which is a shame because the premise was there.