Who cares. What matters is that he isn’t just likeable, but his games are ridiculously good fun, and thankfully his Air ride goes a long way to living-up to that name.

Air Ride plays like a little bit like Mario Kart, but with the powers Kirby is famous for thrown-in for good measure. One to four players get to zoom about nine tracks (one of which must be unlocked), sucking up various enemies and stealing their powers. You may, for example, suck up a wobbling snowman and then briefly get to use a snow-based power. What sets Air Ride apart from just about anything else is that everything bar steering is handled with the A button - sucking up enemies, using their powers, slowing down, turbo – all used via one button. Kirby will always be accelerating, pressing A will act as a brake, and yet letting go of the button will give you a brief turbo. So as you approach a hairpin bend, for example, you hold A to slow down and slide past the apex of the corner, line yourself up with the track and let go of A to boost away. Quite clever when you think about it.

The name Air Ride comes from the various craft Kirby can ride, most of which hover slightly above the ground. Each vehicle possesses certain characteristics and, impressively, each can completely alter the way the game must be played. The initial Warp Star for example has a good top speed, good acceleration, a fairly strong boost and good handling in mid air, though it cannot fly far. It’s a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. Conversely, an alien-like craft called Click Spin can only steer when the A button is pressed,although the top speed is extremely high. A particular favourite is the small green scooter, which chugs away at a fair old rate and has Kirby leaning through the corners in true MotoGP fashion.

Different vehicles work best for certain tracks, and its here where Kirby’s Air Ride impresses the most. HAL Laboratories' attention to detail is exceptional, displaying a vast array of lively backgrounds and moving parts within the track. Whilst the same events will happen on the track for every race, the joyous use of colour and general enthusiastic atmosphere keep things from getting too depressing. The tracks are all generic in theme, and the standard Fire\Ice\Desert\Space combo all make a predictable appearance, yet the combination of original gameplay mechanics and clever interaction with the scenery make for a more involving experience than one may initially think.

Speed boosts litter the tracks, and are often placed off of the ideal racing line, meaning risks must be taken to reap their rewards. Rails too, something Kirby can ride on Jet Set Radio-style, are often placed in such a way that you need to be well placed some time before they begin. The second stage, based around a watery valley theme, has one instance where the player must cross a bridge. If you manage to get airborne on the previous corner and successfully negotiate the bend while flying, it is possible to land on the bridge railings and take advantage of the speed boost it offers.

Kirby’s Air Ride is an unashamedly simplistic game. Once the best lines have been worked out, keeping to them won’t be much of a challenge. Indeed, in less than half an hour it is possible to win all of the eight initial tracks in single player without even feeling as though you've tried. This does hurt the experience, especially without any championship structure, but HAL have been quite clever in extending the life of the game.

After every race when you first get the game, you will be presented with a large 12*10 grid, which is occasionally filled-in with either red or green blocks. It’s when certain criteria are met that these blocks are filled in, and if the colour is red, something new has been unlocked (if green, challenge has been completed but there is nothing to unlock). To begin with the more simplistic challenges will be completed, such as winning a track or beating a certain time, but eventually more advanced tasks will reveal themselves. These can include winning a race without pressing A, or beating/sucking up a certain quantity of a specified enemy.

It is possible to view the grid and have a look at each challenge criteria, although everything is written in Japanese, which is likely to put some off. The grid is something which has been designed to run in the background; something which occasionally pops up to offer new rewards when playing for fun, but when playing just solo completing the grid is the only challenge the game offers.

Indeed, for the single player gamer, Kirby is enjoyable but lacks substance. HAL have made further effort in extending the game's life by successfully implementing an overhead mode that plays like the old Super Sprint games. This is fun and pleasingly over the top, yet despite presenting beautifully crafted tracks, the enjoyment only lasts for as long as it takes to win each race once. There is a whole new bonus grid for this mode, but the lack of any depth makes repeated play only feel like a chore.

Since Kirby has been so clearly designed for four players though, the lack of things to do with just one is almost entirely excusable.

Joining the Air Ride and Overhead modes is the intriguing City Trial. Still playable with one player, this mode is perhaps the biggest surprise of the package. To begin with, each of the 4 Kirby’s will begin the mode with the most basic of craft, and they all must explore a small (yet feature-filled) city to gain new powers and craft upgrades. Upgrades can be collected by destroying large boxes that fall from the sky, and can increase or decrease attributes of your craft. It’s also possible to jump off your craft, which allows you to run about as Kirby and select new craft if found. More than this, collecting three special parts will create a secret vehicle with vastly over the top statistics.

After the time limit as run down, the game will stop and a random ‘Stadium’ level will begin, which can be anything from a long jump challenge, a lap around any of the tracks or even a straight forward death match. In all there are around 25 stadium games, which can either be played randomly at the end of each City game, or played separately at your leisure. A new bonus grid also makes an appearance, except here the challenges are harder to pull off and usually rely on random occurrences, such as a certain vehicle being used to kill another specified vehicle. City mode is well designed, but like much of the game it doesn’t manage to reach its full potential. HAL have introduced special events within the City, but they usually occur with a whimper rather than the expected bang. It is fun, but perhaps too random, lacking the emphasis on skill.

Kirby’s Air Ride offers an enjoyable yet limited single player game, but one that is vastly improved with more people. Unfortunately, the problems within the game harm the multiplayer experience. With just nine tracks, there simply isn’t enough to do in the main Air Ride mode. Rather than take a system similar to F-Zero, where there are a number of tracks designed around each theme, Kirby just features one track per theme. The tracks are well designed, but with such simplistic gameplay it can get repetitive quickly. The greatest sin, though, is the lack of tournament or tally within the multiplayer game. The only option when playing is one-off races or battles, which results in an experience that is fun for only around an hour at a time.

A real shame, as Kirby’s Air Ride displays such a joyous, charming exterior that just begs to be played. Expressions on Kirby’s face are simply magical; the most gormless and amusing range of emotions seen since Link’s most recent adventure. The music too, is some of the best on the Gamecube. Undoubtedly, this is a game to be enjoyed by all, enjoyed with the family, but it isn’t something that is likely to hold your attention for long.

Kirby appears to be a game designed around the premise of a quick multiplayer blast, and it has succeeded in doing this. But you have to ask the question: with the Monkey Ball series already tying-up a similar market - and Mario Kart: Double Dash just around the corner - is there any need for Kirby?