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The sport of NASCAR stock-car racing, while growing quickly in popularity in America, still remains an acquired taste for many sports fans and video-game players. Some gamers just don't like the idea or appreciate the difficulty and subtlety of driving endless laps around an oval track.

So many reviews of all three of EA Sports' NASCAR franchise games have unfairly concluded that each respective NASCAR game was dull because of the subject matter, not because of any shoddy programming or gaming flaws. Indeed, NASCAR 98 and NASCAR 2000 are very solid racing games for those who appreciate oval racing. Still, Electronic Arts decided to create a game for those who say that conventional NASCAR racing is as exciting as filling out income-tax forms - NASCAR Rumble. In this game, stock cars leave the superspeedways of America and take to the open roads in pure arcade fashion, with big speed, big crashes, extreme air and various power-ups to spice up the action.

In theory, NASCAR Rumble sounds like a blast. And for the first few hours, it's one of the prettiest, funniest and best high-speed driving romps you can take on the PlayStation. But after a while, yawn-inducing racing at some skill levels and a flawed promotion system make this game exactly what it wasn't supposed to be -- a bit dull. Read on to find out why. Gameplay:

The driving model in NASCAR Rumble is excellent. Unfortunately, the racing model isn't.

Vehicle physics are programmed quite well by EA in this game. The cars and trucks feel right as they sway around the tracks, and just a slight lift of the gas or tap of the brake will induce fun, power-sliding oversteer. It's a bit excessive, but this is an arcade game, after all. Cars and trucks also catch insane air during collisions and after catching jumps. It's great fun to see your car sail over the field or see a competitor launch into the air after hitting an object or another vehicle.

The objective of each race in NASCAR Rumble is no different than any other racing game - cross the finish line first. But NASCAR Rumble is different from all sims and many arcade games through the use of power-ups to help your chances and ruin your opponents' chances for victory. There are 11 power-ups spread around the course, represented by rows of three horizontal gaseous bubbles hovering across the road that players drive through to activate. When you drive through one of the bubbles, a symbol for one of the 11 power-ups appears on the screen. You have no idea which power-up is contained in which bubble, adding suspense and fun. The temporary effects of power-ups range from bad gas and oil slicks that slow vehicles, a freeze that cripples steering, a nitro burst for more speed, storms that block vision, twisters that send vehicles flying in a whirlwind and joker power-ups that remain a mystery until activated.

Various alerts, ranging from storms to twisters to freezes, also occur from time to time during races. Human drivers must slow to 50 mph or less, or find a quick shortcut, to avoid the effects of these weather phenomena. There are plenty of shortcuts on each track that slice human players' overall time and help them avoid weather effects. The shortcuts create plenty of variety and fun, and there are hidden vehicles such as a sprint car waiting to be unlocked on some shortcuts for players with a keen eye.

The power-ups and weather effects create a really unique, fun atmosphere for racing. There's more to worry about than the other cars when racing. But I was amazed when reading a review indicating that NASCAR Rumble is a much better game with the power-ups turned off, one of the many tunable gameplay options offered. That's absolutely insane, because this game would become very dull, very quickly without the power-ups. There's just not enough racing for this game to stand up without the power-ups.

The start of each race at the Rookie and Pro difficulty levels is a close, full-contact affair, with plenty of scraping sheet metal, heavy collisions and speed. But the racing usually evaporates quickly, as it's pretty easy for human players to pull into the lead and keep it.

I almost always slowed to less than 50 mph to avoid weather effects, but the computer-controlled cars hardly ever did, only further increasing my lead. And I took plenty of shortcuts to pad that lead even more. The CPU cars usually stayed on the beaten path, no pun intended. So the result was very little side-by-side racing at the Rookie and Pro difficulty levels. I won races too easily. I'm a decent video-game driver, but I'm certainly not the reincarnation of Ayrton Senna or Jim Clark.

It seemed that the biggest racing challenge in NASCAR Rumble was managing the use of power-ups and avoiding weather effects, not the speed and driving tenacity of the five opponents on the screen. And about the only time I needed to touch the brake in any locale other than Beach Blast was to slow quickly to avoid weather effects. I know that arcade driving games don't require a grasp of such sim concepts as weight transfer under braking and throttle-tail oversteer, but NASCAR Rumble often is nothing more than a point-and-shoot, ram-the-gas game. Even the ridiculously easy Ridge Racer Type 4 required some braking. Longevity:

At first glance, NASCAR Rumble offers plenty of longevity. There are nine game modes, 30 NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers, seven NASCAR legends, six locales and 21 tracks. There are also plenty of hidden vehicles to unlock, such as a sprint car.

But something that's not in the game really - a sensible unlocking and rewards system from skill level to skill level -- hurts the longevity of this game.

First the positives. The nine game modes provide plenty of variety. There are single races in each locale, locale championships and Legends championships in which players take on NASCAR legends unlocked for winning championships at various locales. A nice wrinkle is the inclusion of Cyber Team racing in the one-player races, allowing human players to team up with a computer-controlled car. The two-car team with the lowest combined time wins, so you're keeping just as close of an eye on the position of your cyber teammate as your position during the race. Two human players also can race together as a Coop Team in the Single Race mode. Fun stuff. A Time Trial mode in which players race against the clock also is included, and the Showdown mode puts players in a head-to-head, one-lap race against either another human player or a CPU-controlled driver.

Every major NASCAR driver is included in the game, including active champions Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip. Other stars in the game include Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. And NASCAR trucks and Craftsman Truck Series drivers such as Jack Sprague, Mike Wallace, Ron Hornaday, Rick Carelli and Stacy Compton are included in a console video game for the first time. It was a blast to drive the realistic-looking NASCAR trucks. NASCAR Legends such as Bobby and Davey Allison, Cale Yarborough, Alan Kulwicki, Benny Parsons and Richard Petty each can be unlocked after championships at various locales.

The locales vary from the urban grit of Metropolis to the sandstone of the Badlands. There's a healthy dose of New Orleans and the bayou in Mardi Gras, a taste of the deep South in Southern Exposure, sandy fun in Beach Blast and a bit of the Old West in Gold Rush. Each of the locales has three races on distinct tracks within that locale. The EA Cup and Wild Card Cup Races add to the course depth.

Only two locales are available when first playing NASCAR Rumble. The other four locales are unlocked as players win championships in each locale. That's a standard reward procedure found in many racing games.

But the major flaw in the longevity of this game becomes evident when players try to advance from the Rookie to the Pro difficulty level. Players must win championships in all six locales - a total of 18 races - before advancing to the Pro level and vehicles. Using default, four-lap races, it took me two hours, 43 minutes and 54 seconds of gameplay to win all six championships. Unfortunately, it was about two hours more than I wanted to play. The Rookie level is very, very easy, as I won nearly every race in each locale by five seconds. I won some races by 10 or 15 seconds. The Rookie level was too simple for my driving skills, yet I was forced to slog through every locale and win before I advanced to the Pro skill level.

I'm not a fan of instant gratification. But the Pro and Elite skill levels should be more easily accessible. Good drivers shouldn't be penalized by having to suffer through the Rookie skill level, but the tedium that EA has programmed into this game through this unlocking and rewards procedure is one of the major flaws of this game. Frankly, if I wasn't reviewing the game, I don't know if I could have mustered the patience or the will power to sit through each race in every locale just to climb to the Pro skill level. It was just too boring as every race seemed to follow an identical script of close starts, gaining big leads, hanging on while being tortured by weather effects and then rebuilding the big lead before cruising to victory.

Another weakness in the longevity of this game is the identical nature of the vehicles. All of the cars and trucks handle the same. There are no parts upgrades or vehicle tuning. Sure, this is an arcade game, not a simulation. But Sled Storm is a great arcade game by EA that managed to weave in meaningful parts upgrades.

All of the competitors are the same, too. Why couldn't EA have programmed in driving strengths and weaknesses for each driver, in a fun way? Make Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart aggressive. Make Terry Labonte and Mark Martin smooth and consistent. This could have been a really cool, over-the-top arcade touch much like the individual rider personalities in Sled Storm or the skill and character traits found in wrestling games. Controls:

Gamers everywhere would rejoice if every arcade racing game had as sensible of a control layout as NASCAR Rumble. It's excellent.

The left analog stick or digital D-pad controls steering. The analog steering is crisp and responsive with no annoying dead zone in the center of the axis like the one that nearly ruined the control of Formula One 99. But still the analog steering in NASCAR Rumble doesn't resemble that of a 1,500-pound formula racer. The controls are responsive, but the cars still sway and lean like 3,500-pound gorillas. That's very realistic.

Acceleration and braking are handled with the X and square button, respectively. There is no option for analog gas and brake, which is about the only flaw with the control in this game. Sure, analog isn't vital in this game because players rarely lift their thumb from the accelerator. But EA still should provide the option to players like me who despise digital gas and braking in any racing game.

Pretty simple so far. And that theme of simplicity continues throughout the control scheme. The shoulder buttons are mapped perfectly, with L1 toggling the gauge displays, L2 cycling through the four available camera views - standard behind, follow, follow close or bumper, R1 activating the rear-view mirror as long as you hold that button and R2 launching active power-ups. This default setup just feels right, a rarity in racing games. All tasks are accomplished easily without finger gymnastics or distracting from the main job of driving the car. Great job by EA.

The menus in the game are very easy to navigate, no small task due to the nine available game modes. Menu and other graphical fonts are easy to read. And there is excellent vibration support, with varying pulses depending on the severity of a collision or impact after landing from a jump. Graphics:

The graphics in NASCAR Rumble are top-shelf. In fact, the washed-out, pop-up-laden graphics in EA Sports' NASCAR 2000 - released just a few months ago -- look primitive compared to the vivid, detailed, smooth graphics of NASCAR Rumble. It's hard to believe that the same company designed the graphics for both games just a few months apart.

First, NASCAR Rumble has a terrific sense of speed. A fast framerate was vital to the graphical success of this game, as there's nothing more annoying than a sluggish arcade racing game. Well, EA succeeded. There's nothing slow about Rumble - it rips. Scenery just flies past with absolutely no pop-up and very little slowdown, even when six vehicles are on the screen.

And the scenery is lush. Each locale is filled with vivid graphical touches, such as black tire lines from heavy use on freeways in the Beach Blast locale, banners hanging over New Orleans streets in the Mardi Gras locale and textured patterns on the skid-plate landing zones of some tracks in the Metropolis locale. The red clay of the South is accurately modeled in the Southern Exposure locale. There are also nice touches in the building surrounding some of the courses, such as the old Saturn 5 storage tower now used to house the Space Shuttle at Cape Canaveral in the Beach Blast locale.

But the only negative part of the graphics involves the scenery. Some of the scenery and road surfaces, especially the medians in the Beach Blast locale, are pixelated at close range. But that's probably due to the hardware limitations of our aging, favorite gray box instead of programming flaws.

All of the various power-ups produce vivid and differing effects, such as whirling black twisters, black storm clouds and yellow lightning bolts during storms, and the icy-blue or glossy gold sheen that covers your car during activation of Freeze or Invincible power-ups, respectively. The graphics used in the power-ups enhance the total arcade experience and provide plenty of visual variety.

The vehicles look terrific. Each of the current NASCAR cars and trucks features accurate livery, except for those sponsored by either tobacco or beer companies. We can thank the political correctness police for that. Lord knows, little Jimmy will want to swill a 40-ouncer before Cub Scouts because he played a video game with a car sponsored by Budweiser. Sheesh.

Perhaps the most stunning visual difference between NASCAR Rumble and the traditional NASCAR games in EA's library is the vivid light effects on the cars and tracks. Reflections shimmer off various surfaces of the cars, especially in the night races in the Metropolis locale. And shadows from streetlights or the sun hidden by clouds change constantly in both day and night locales. It's the some of the best light sourcing I've ever seen in a video game, even better than the lighting in the vaunted Gran Turismo 2. Superb work by EA. Sound:

So much for subtlety: The sound in NASCAR Rumble is perfect.

The car engine sounds are excellent, as the roar of V8 small-block engines used in NASCAR cars and trucks is modeled perfectly. The engine sound rises and falls properly, and the engine realistic over-revs when the player keeps the gas to the floor when the rear wheels leave the ground during jumps. Great attention to detail by EA.

There are also excellent racing sounds, such as screeching skids. The collision sounds also are ideal. The crunch and grinding of gnarled sheet metal is spot-on, and the heavy thud of collisions is perfect. In fact, all of the collision audio sounds just like the actual in-car audio from a collision during a NASCAR race. It's that good.

NASCAR Rumble also has a healthy share of strong ambient sound effects depending on locale. For example, a blaring car alarm or wailing police siren can be heard during certain portions of tracks in the Metropolis locale. Very nice touch.

The background music provided by Derek Trucks, son of Allman Brothers legend Butch Trucks, fits the game perfectly. Trucks plays a mixture of country-fried Southern rock mixed with some funk touches, depending on locale. The music never seems obtrusive but adds tons of atmosphere to races in each locale. It's a winning, subtle soundtrack.

But the best part of the audio of NASCAR Rumble - by a mile - is the commentary of voice actor Jess Parnell. He provides plenty of sarcastic, wise-ass commentary throughout each race depending on your performance and other happenings on the track. Parnell delivers the commentary in a voice that resembles Southern comedian Jeff Foxworthy. But there's one big difference between Parnell and Foxworthy: Parnell is extremely talented and funny; Foxworthy isn't.

Parnell zaps players with such zingers as "Don't get too cocky. They're right behind you," or "Don't choke!" when human players lead the race. He'll say, "Man, that's cold," when you're struck by a Freeze power-up. Other great ones are "Crude, but sweet," and "Special blend, coming up!" when you drop a Bad Gas or Oil Slick power-up to slow your opponents. My two favorites are: "Houston, we have liftoff," after taking a huge jump, and "Hey, you're driving like a maniac! I like it."

Parnell's commentary stays fresh, too. In fact, I heard new phrases even after playing this game for five hours. It was a refreshing audio depth from EA, which nearly drove me to medication with the incredibly repetitive "pulls up" audio by Ron Franklin on nearly every jump shot in March Madness 2000 and the unbelievably annoying "This track's got the best food" by Benny Parsons at every speedway in NASCAR 99.

Trust me, I'm doing no justice to Parnell's commentary with words. You must hear it to believe it. It's funny as hell and probably the best voice commentary to accompany a game that I've ever heard. Overall:

NASCAR Rumble is a fun game. Electronic Arts has succeeded in creating a viable alternative for those who say oval-dominated NASCAR racing is dull, as the beautiful graphics, superb sound, solid controls and fun power-up system provide an appealing package.

But NASCAR Rumble doesn't rival the arcade brilliance of EA's Sled Storm, still the best arcade racing game I've played in the last 12 months. There's just not enough racing in NASCAR Rumble. Sled Storm combined great tracks with shortcuts like Rumble, a trick system that provided a unique gameplay wrinkle like the power-ups in Rumble and insanely competitive racing that sometimes had entire fields of four sleds separated by less than a second at the finish.

Plus the flawed unlocking and rewards system really hurts NASCAR Rumble. This game has a lot going for it. It's pretty, fun and fast. EA didn't need to program in such a frustrating and artificial longevity system to advance to a higher skill level. EA should have trusted the strengths of the game and let gamers decide which skill level was right for them. You don't have to go undefeated in a season on the Rookie level of EA Sports' brilliant Madden 2000 to advance to the Pro level, do you? Here's a message to EA: If the game is good enough, people will continue to pop it into their consoles for a long, long time -- at any skill level.