Thanks to games such as the Monster Truck Madness series and 4x4 Evolution, driving games focusing on powerful 4x4 vehicles are steadily gaining popularity. However, these games haven't yet managed to deliver a complete off-road racing experience, because they tend to confine you into fairly restrictive environments. That's not the case with Codemasters' 1nsane. Along with good graphics, a wide array of gameplay modes, and realistic control, Codemasters' 1nsane is the only 4x4 racing game to date that truly offers a sense of the freedom--and the chaos--found in real-life off-road racing.

1nsane gives you the option to select from numerous single-player and multiplayer modes right from the start. In addition to standard quick-race options against the computer, the single-player mode features lots of unusual racing modes, such as jamboree, return-the-flag, gate hunt, pathfinder, capture-the-flag, and destruction zone. There's also a championship mode that lets you unlock additional vehicles and tracks based on your performance. In the jamboree mode, you must drive through a series of checkpoints scattered around each track, so it's possible to take any route that you want; however, you have to keep an eye on the topographic map at the bottom of the screen so that your vehicle doesn't encounter any impassable obstacles. Capture-the-flag is similar to jamboree, except you must be carrying the flag when you go through each checkpoint. And the only way to secure the flag is to crash into the opposing vehicle that's carrying it. Instead of using checkpoints, the return-the-flag mode places flags at random points on each track so that you must race toward the flag, capture it, and then race back to your base before any opposing vehicles steal it away from you. These modes are all equally fun, but the most entertaining is probably destruction zone. Like the old king-of-the-hill game, in destruction zone you must race to a series of designated points found on top of hills and mountains on the map. Once you're in the correct area, you have to stay there to gain as many points as possible while other cars attempt to knock you off your perch--it's not easy, and when your vehicle is knocked off, it's often difficult to get back because of the damage you've sustained.