Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Anki's "Overdrive" expands the "Drive" experience into three dimensions for three times the fun! "Drive" is great, don't get me wrong, however it's limited to static tracks, and they are flat. Sure, it's possible to build "hills" under the track mat, but only in a limited way. Let me share with you the ways that Overdrive expands on the Drive experience all adding up to an amazing product ... Reconfigurable tracks. The Starter Kit allows, I think, eight ways of defining a track, while adding just a few more curves and straights enables many, many, many more configurations. Overpasses and elevated sections add to the interest. "Jumps" (if you buy the "Launch Kit"). The new cars are even cooler than the old ones, with more exciting designs and different shaped indicator lights on top. The AI opponents have a heap of personality, gloating over their successes, and moaning about their losses. They also have quite a range of skills. There are many AI opponents. I have not yet raced against every one. At the start of each race, the software has to assume you may have reconfigured the track, so it sends the cars off to map it out. Watch it and be amazed! The map dynamically appears on your phone, section by section, as the cars run at about half speed looking at the track layout. This is very cool! Once the track layout has been mapped, the cars proceed to the start/finish line at full speed, slowing neatly as they approach the line and stopping in formation. This is great to watch. You WILL say "wow" when you see four cars line up so neatly with one or two millimeters between them. I never get tired of this sight! Yes, unlike Drive, there is an official start/finish line, so laps are clearly defined, and you get to see the cars line up. You don't get accused of cheating by slightly misplacing the cars near the line, since that's done for you. You can Race and Battle using Drive cars, Overdrive cars or a mixture of both. (Tournament mode relies on Overdrive cars only.) The track segments snap together with amazing ease and precision. You really have to experience this to appreciate what I mean. The ends of the tracks have sets of strong magnets, and a few plastic guides which cause the track segments to just grab each other and lock as you bring two segments case to each other. Since the cars are traveling fast, the tracks must join with great precision. The Anki engineers solved this problem with simplicity and elegance. It's so easy, that you'll never be discouraged from trying new layouts. The new four-station charger is superior to the Drive charger. Firstly, it supports four cars, not just three. And it's a more compact implementation, with up to four cars side by side on a rectangular platform. Yes, you lose the plastic domes over the cars, but it's a lot more user friendly, easier to carry around, and takes up less space. The only slightly negative thing I have to say is that it's not a great idea to have multiple identical cars. For example, I have two Drive cars called Boson, and if I choose to use one, or both of these in an event, it can get confusing as to which one to place on the track etc. Drive allowed renaming of cars, but that option has been dropped (at least for now), in Overdrive. Realistically, this would probably affect almost nobody. My advice is to make sure you don't buy duplicates (for now). To wrap up, Overdrive is truly the 21st century version of slot car racing on steroids. If you had fun with Drive, (and who didn't!), you'll just be blown away by Overdrive! I remember looking at my Drive tracks and looking at my scissors and wondering if that'd work! Anki have done it for us and it just works! In the interests of full disclosure, I was a beta tester for Drive, and a beta tester for the Overdrive starter kit. Anki provided cars, chargers, tracks and the software for me to test. I provided my own iPhones. I bought extra track segments, overpass stands, rails and a "Launch Kit" in the normal way at anki.com at full retail prices the day after the Overdrive product became available. I have not been paid for testing, nor for reviewing. I'm assuming that if Anki wants their cars and tracks back, that I'd be required to pack them up and ship them back. I hope they don't! Update. Experiences with my extended track. It may be my imagination, but I'm seeing more off-track excursions with the longer track, and the Launch Kit, so I'm pleased that I also bought rails kits which clip onto the outside of the curved track sections, keeping crazy drivers off the floor.