For a console that's been out since March this year, the 3DS unfortunately hasn't quite matched up to expectations. After a distinct lack of tent-pole titles on release, especially those of its parent company Nintendo, the 3DS hasn't had the software around to show off it's true potential. Which is a real shame.

Despite the presence of superb Nintendo titles like Pilotwings, Starfox and Ocarina of Time 3D, there simply haven't been any truly huge games unique to the 3DS and this is almost certainly (admittedly, there's also been the disasters in Japan) one of the main reasons it remains one the most under-appreciated bit of gaming hardware on the market today. Hopefully this is set to change with the recent addition of both Super Mario 3D Land and now, Mario Kart 7.

Anyone who's played any of the previous six Mario Karts will have a pretty good idea of what to expect here. For those who haven't, it's essentially characters from the Mario games racing each other around tracks that are also based on locations from the games.

Unlike many games series, one of the things that Nintendo has always done with Mario Kart is to make each game significantly different from the last one. Everyone has their favourite Mario Kart. Ours is the simple, hands on driving of the SNES version (although we'll freely admit we've never really let that particular console go) while some people prefer the racing lottery that was the recent Wii attempt or even the slightly cumbersome N64 version. 

Either way, Nintendo seem to have taken what they learned from earlier versions and made Mario Kart 7, a game that takes all your favourite bits from part one to six and assembled them, Voltron-esque, into some kind of super game. Super Mario Kart, maybe.

The tracks are much more involved than they've previously been, and while the 16 new tracks are as meticulously designed as ever, there's also the chance to race another 16 from previous incarnations, including Rainbow Road and Mario Circuit 2 from the SNES. 

Mario Kart's core racing aspect has also been tightened up, removing some of the more chaotic driving elements of previous games and replacing them with a smoother, more realistic (as far as you can be in the Mushroom Kingdom) experience, including a move back to only eight contestants per race. There's also a welcome return for powerslides that rely on your sharp cornering rather than the frantic wiggling of the thumbstick.

Power-ups are still a major part of the game however, as all the standard items return along with with the addition of a fire flower, tanooki tail, super leaf, and the Lucky 7 (seven different items rotate around you, amazing). The kart system itself has also undergone a major change, as you now build your own kart from the bottom up, combining standard parts as well as those from a new system that requires 50 coins (collected during races) to unlock the various new, improved parts for your racer.

One of the best additions to the game is the ability to connect to other gamers over WiFi using the 3DS' StreetPass system, enabling you to race against friends or, if you're a bit short of those, anyone else on the planet whose willing. The mobile multiplayer adds a whole new element to the game, especially since the idea of having a quick battlemode with someone on the other side of the world while you're on your lunch break is particularly enticing if you've got colleagues with the same penchant for microwaved fish that we do.

Essentially, Mariokart 7 is a superb game that shows of the 3DS' capabilities to full effect. If we had to pick a hole in it, we'd probably say the graphics were a little less perfect than we were expecting, although that's just Nintendo's fault for setting their standards so ridiculously high.