Some people enjoy the whole spectacle of luxury supercars tangled in a heated race around the streets of Monaco. While there’s nothing wrong with car racing games of that nature, you can’t expect these very same folks to enjoy a little dirt on their fenders – and possibly even some scrapes here and there. For that particular crowd, the perfect rough and tumble game is Reckless Racing.

Featuring a steady diet of imposing pick-ups, muscle cars, and the occasional big rigs, Reckless Racing takes us to a world where exotic vehicles are about as welcome as a LeBron James is in Cleveland.

This game is all about the muscle. Climb behind the wheel of a pick up and navigate your way around a makeshift course that’s full of dirt, pot holes, and of course, ramps that just so happen to be there, waiting and willing for you to take your rigger and fly it through the air. Reckless Racing is definitely not for the high-brow, but it is perfect for everyday folks like us who don’t mind getting a little down and dirty on occasion.

Details after the jump.

Graphics

Reckless Racing’s graphics look mighty impressive; the surroundings are smoothly done and the developers used every inch of space to make sure that the courses and their environment are designed to be as real as it can be. Plus, we like the idea of things being all over the place, sort of like having chaos in order. With this game, you’re really not looking for manicured lawns and newly-painted picket fences.

The bird’s eye view - or top-down view, whichever you prefer - of the game also harkens back to the days when Super Off-Road was one of our favorite games. Good graphics with a twist of nostalgia? That’s a good combination in our book.

Controls

The default racing controls are pretty simple, really. It’s pretty much a basic system of pressing two arrow buttons for acceleration and brake (left is for gas and right is for brake). The game also offers a number of control options like tilting your iPhone and even a virtual wheel, but unless you’ve gotten the hang of the game and you’re confident that you can navigate your way using these control methods, we suggest you stick to the left-right button scheme. It’s simpler and it allows you to be in the spirit of the race without worrying about all the added motions.

Gameplay

Reckless Racing has three race modes. The first is a basic multi-lap ‘Dirt Rally’ race to the finish against your opponents. This mode lets players race on ten different tracks against the ‘computer rivals’. The game has five different tracks so they’re basically repeated in reverse to complete the ten races. There’s an obstacle-laden package delivery race where players are required to pick up and deliver a specific set of items to different locations in the fastest possible time. And as with any other car racing game, there’s also the time trial.

Out of all the three modes, you’ll probably get the most satisfaction with the first two. Not that we enjoy time trials - because we do – but with a game like Reckless Racing that’s marketed like a good ol’ fashion destruction derby, there’s more enjoyment in seeing your run-down pick-up in a virtual steel-on-steel tango with the competition while navigating your way on made-up race tracks that you’ll never mistake for the Nurburgring.

Pricing

Reckless Racing is available at the iTunes store for a measly $.99. Trust us, you’re not going to miss that dollar.

Awesome Scale

Score: 8

The graphics are clean. The gameplay is smooth. The controls are easy. All the elements are there for a good racing game on your iPhone, and when you combine all that with the running roughshod nature of the game, it’s a definite must-download.

What Do Others Think?

Engadget’s take: “ is a stellar game that immediately puts a smile on your face from the moment you fire it up.”