ChoroQ is a cute racer with an in-depth RPG story line that will keep you going back time after time.

The graphics of ChoroQ definitely lie on the cartoony side. The cars are brightly colored and bubbly, reminding me of toy cars. The tracks and landscapes follow suit with their slightly exaggerated characteristics, the stands filled with cars, and the “houses” for the various vehicles being little more than garages.

ChoroQ’s music stays up beat and extremely happy-go-lucky. The peppy feel to it kept me entertained as I cruised through the many streets or raced across the many tracks. ChoroQ’s sound effects weren’t that bad either. Though while racing at high speeds, the sound of my engine seemed more like an electric motor instead of a high-performance system. But I guess this goes along with the game’s cartoony, childlike feel.

Apparently, the ChoroQ title is a longstanding Japanese series that has made its mark on the far side of the Pacific. In fact, the semi-popular Penney Racers toys is the title’s only claim to the U.S., but it is easy to see why this game caught on like it did (if you get past a few of its flaws, that is).

Outside of the races, you will travel through the ChoroQ world encountering many different people... er, cars. You will talk to them in order to further the story, or you can buy parts, paint jobs, and even new body shells by dealing with these vehicles; all in the hopes of becoming the world’s best racer.

You will be able to choose from more than 200 vehicles, earned in more than 100 events. There are a total of 160 races that you will be able to compete in, along with 30 mini-games. Not to mention the fully customizable bodies that let you add or remove interesting parts, and even change the color of the body itself. ChoroQ is more than a racing game. The RPG interaction is what will keep you in the game -- not necessarily the races themselves.

What’s wrong with the races? The controls are very loose, making your chances of spinning out or losing control of you vehicle, in general, very easy. The A.I. is not superb, and seemed to be simply following designated paths. And the speed feels like you’re racing past your competitors at a whooshing 40 MPH (even if your speedometer says otherwise). But thankfully, the wide range of tracks is interesting. You will find yourself racing across earthquake ridden lands, haunted castles, and through zero-gravity space. So as a racer, ChoroQ comes out flat and not what it can be, but the RPG aspect is what will grab you and make this game worth playing.

ChoroQ had some more difficult races later on in the game, but overall, it wasn’t hard to keep up with the pack (provided you upgraded your car on a fairly regular basis). In general, ChoroQ provided a well balanced gameplay experience and required me to upgrade or trade out my parts on a frequent enough basis, just to make sure I could finish in one of the required places.

ChoroQ’s controls throughout the game (whether you’re racing or just driving around the world) follows the standard racing control scheme. You use the X to accelerate, D-Pad or Left Analog stick to steer, Circle to break, and Square to go in reverse. If you want to talk to another car while driving down the streets, all you have to do is bump into them. It’s a fairly simple system overall, and works well with the game.

If you are looking for a nice diversion, something that will get your mind off of school or work, then ChoroQ‘s surrealistic “Car-PG” is what you are probably looking for.