Do you know a sneaky tip or trick. TELL ME!

CONTENDERS...READY!

The racers in Mario Kart 64 are split into three handling categories; lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight. Don't worry about falling behind though, as all three categories hit approximately the same top speed.

LIGHTWEIGHTS

The little fellas are always quick off the mark as they have the fastest acceleration of all, and a slightly greater top speed. Also, they won't lose that much speed if they stray off the course. On the down side, they'll lose speed if they corner without sliding, and can be easily squashed by the heavier racers. They are:

TOAD

YOSHI

PEACH

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Mario and Luigi are inflicted with the curse of mediovrity. That is, they are completely average in all areas-speed, handling, sliding etc. They are good characters to practice with if you don't fancy the special attributes of the other two groups. They are:

MARIO & LUIGI surprisingly!

HEAVYWEIGHTS

The big bruisers have the weakest acceleration of the lot, so they often have to play catch up at the start of the race. Because of their weight, they tend to slow down if they hit mud or grass at the side of the track, but they won't lose much speed when cornering. They can also run over smaller players as if they weren't there. They are:

WARIO

DONKEY KONG

BOWSER

MULTIPLE POWER-UPS

Tap the Z-trigger once, and multiple power-ups(shells or bananas)will circle or trail behind your kart. In this position they act as a shield to anything except a blue shell. This also lets you pick up a second power-up to use straight afterwards. If you pick up, say, two sets of red shells in this way, then you can rain shell death on your opponents and they won't know what hit 'em.

THROWING BANANAS

Bananas are usually dropped straight behind you, and can cause untold carnage if a trail of skins is left round a blind corner. You can also hold the analogue stick forwards to lob bananas into the path of racers dead ahead. Conversely, hold the stick back when firing a green shell to send it hurtling backwards-extremely handy when someone's right on your tail.

DRAGGING POWER-UPS

These single shot items can be dragged behind you by holding the Z-trigger. When you let go, the power-up is released. This means that you can collect a second power-up and use the first as a shield, like the multiple power-ups. Accurate placement of items is also possible, so you can dump a bomb block right where a real block should be.

LIGHTNING TACTICS

Getting zapped by lightning can seriously affect your jumping abilities, which is a pain on a course like Wario Stadium where jumps are essential. Anyone using a Super Star or ghost power-up is immune to a Lightning Bolt's effects, which is something to bear in mind when you have the item. Look through the guide for sneaky places to use the Lightning Bolt in multi-player mode.

SINGLE PLAYER SUCCESS

These single player tips are handy for multi-player games, as well as the Mario Grand Prix and Time Attack Mode. However, they're aimed at improving your own performance, rather than fouling up your mate's chances.

TURBO START

At the start of the race, press the accelerator as the signal changes from red to blue and you'll get a turbo start, signified by flames erupting from the rear of your kart. Press the button too early, however, and you'll end up wheel spinning, which is extremely annoying. accelerate too early, as you are put back after a fall, and the same thing happens.

AVOIDING OBSTACLES

You can jump over bananas and Bomb Karts with a well timed tap of the jump button, even if you're going up a steep hill. However, if you hit a banana, all is not lost. Take your finger off the accelerator and tap it repeatedly. If a musical note appears over your racer's head, then you've avoided a skid. This only works if you're going in a straight line.

POWER SLIDING

By pressing and holding the jump button (top R) as you enter a bend, your racer will begin to slide out. This means that you can corner without losing too much speed. There is also a technique which gives a bit of a speed boost by power sliding, which is very useful on Time Trials and to get an edge in Multi-Player games. Follow these instructions:

  • 1-As you slide, a white smoke trail rises from the back of your kart. The cloud changes from a 'V' to an 'E'.
  • 2-While sliding, keep holding jump, steer in the opposite direction, then back to the direction you're going.
  • 3-If done correctly, your smoke trail will turn yellow. Repeat this and your smoke trail turns orange.
  • 4-Release the jump button now and you'll get a temporary speed boost of a few kph. Handy eh?

    'HANDBRAKE' TURN

    In a tight spot, hold both the A and B buttons together and you'll be able to turn round practically on the spot. This is also a great technique if someone is on your tail in Battle Mode or if you find yourself going backwards.

    MULTI-PLAYER MAYHEM

    After wasting countless hours playing Mario Kart 64 over the last few months, I've come up with a definitive set of tactics to use in muli-player. All from personal experience. Learn these and you'll never fail.

    LEAD FROM BEHIND

    By purposefully hanging back in a three or four player game, you're more likely to pick up destructive power-ups such as blue shells and lightning bolts, which will help you batter your way yo the front. Players stuck in second or third place will tend to suffer, as they tend to get lousy power-ups.

    PINCHING POWER-UPS

    If you slide through a clump of power-ups you'll be able to collect three or four at once. While this doesn't give you multiple power-ups, it will infuriate players who are behind as you nick all the items. This works really well in Toad's Turnpike.

    RUN 'EM OVER

    As you may have guessed, when the other players have been zapped by a lightning bolt you can run over their karts and flatten 'em. You can also knock them for six if you have a Super Star power-up. With both these techniques, the tricky part is actually managing to hit other players as you past them-you need a good aim and a steady finger on the analogue control.