A very long time ago, all it took was Chinese manufacturing power to churn out cheap knock-offs of western products. Now, you get a whole bunch of Chinese software developers and you’ll get a Mario Kart knockoff, but unlike the cheap knock-offs of yore, Mole Kart for iOS devices seems to hold up well to that adage “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.

As a Mario Kart-knockoff, Mole Kart is pretty decent, although I use the word with reservations. The game features 3D graphics (no surprise) and is generally quite pretty to behold. The tracks themselves are pretty interesting with obstacles, ramps and power-ups…in programming terms, if there’s an abstract class for Mario Kart, Mole Kart is a pretty good implementation of it.

For those of you who do not like the emphasis on power-ups, there’s a speed mode in which success depends entirely on your driving skills…and the rubber band AI. What Mole Kart iOS lacks is the kart customization seen in the latest iteration of Mario Kart on the 3DS (I love that game). While finishing first on a particular level unlocks a higher difficulty level on that level, the general lack of speed is disappointing. The controls on the other hand have enough options to satisfy almost every type of racer.

Mole Kart iOS is available for free on the iTunes App Store and perhaps we will see a much improved game in future iterations. For now, this Mario Kart-knockoff gets a 3.5 out of 5. Check out the game over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mole-kart-i/id522579018?mt=8