As the Commodores would say, she's a brick house. Mighty might just lettin' it all hang out. That's Forza Motorsport 2. A solid racer, and somewhat brick-like in excitement. She appeals to a certain man. A man who likes, well, brickhouses. So let's look at what's right and what's wrong with Forza Motorsport 2.

You got about 300 cars, a dozen tracks, and one very solid AI. If you start playing bumper cars, the AI will start bumping you off the track. Otherwise, it pretty much leaves you alone. The tracks cover cities, speedways, and countryside driving. You can buy parts, paints, decals, and cars. Money is gain through racing. So basically, race, buy stuff, race, buy stuff, race until you got all 300 cars which takes a really long time.

The cars handle differently enough, but you can tweak them to make them even better so races such as a RX-7 versus Porsche are possible. And you can go online to the auction houses and buy cars that somebody else made. The gameplay is solid and there's plenty of onscreen assist for those who need help breaking at the corners correctly.

Now we come to the really weak spot of Forza, which is the graphics and sound. The cars look good and shiny, but the tracks are horrible. The textures look like they were for the original Xbox, and the car engine sounds don't sound anything like a real life engine. They sound like some guy humming. Now you take your real life car, roll down the windows, turn off the music and start driving unti you hit 100 mph. Does the engine sound the same at 30 mph as it does at 100 mph? It does in Forza. And does the scenery move at the same speed? It sure feels that way in Forza, well unless you go from regular car to F1 racer. Don't get us wrong. The handling is great, but the sense of speed isn't always there.

Forza has time trials, race, career, and online racing. You'll spend most of your time in career mode to get your cars, and online to get more cash or sell your cars. Microsoft hosts regular racing tournaments. Online racing is much more rewarding, both in terms of money and realism. It's a good feeling to see alot of different cars with different decals just like a real world race.

Forza is one solid brick house of a game. We're talking mighty might here. Now if you're a racing fan, Forza has got it all. But if you're not and want a fun driving game, perhaps Blowout is more to your liking. It's tough to grade such a solid game that gives you everything you want, except you know it could do better, especially in the graphics and sound department.