Second in what's sure to become a long-running series, Stuntman Ignition is a novel but thoroughly engaging twist on action/racing games in that it's all fake. That is, you play it as if you were a budding stunt driver on a mission to make unforgettable car-chase scenes for movies and commercials.

As such, the game breaks down into what is basically a series of obstacle courses for cars, trucks and motorcycles -- even hovercraft; a couple dozen vehicles in all --, where you're expected to hit certain marks at specifics times -- scooch through oncoming traffic, jump the exploding tanker, fishtail around a hairpin turn, etc. -- and maybe ad-lib a few moves -- dodge the pedestrian, deke under a tractor trailer, etc. -- to make the director that much happier with the "take."

Each level is decidedly short lived (compared to typical smash 'em up racing games, anyway), yet you'll find yourself going back to take another crack at any given set up so you can nail it perfectly, or throw in some "unscripted" dare-deviling just to watch it all replay itself afterward as an edited sequences in the movie or commercial you just filmed, which is rather gratifying.

There's not much more to it than that, and the so-called prompts over the radio from your stunt coordinator are often vague, late or missing, but Stuntman Ignition is at it's best when your driving by the seat of your pants anyway; show-boating for a paycheck. Pretty cool.

TIP: In Stuntman: Ignition (Xbox 360), enter KUNGFOOPETE as a cheat code (in the "extras" menu) to unlock all bonuses.

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