It is very difficult to be innovative in the crowded racing genre. And for a series that is almost 20 years old, this task gets even harder. It also does not help matters in the least that the Xbox 360 is choking with racing games already.

So how does Test Drive Unlimited (TDU) stick out? No one has ever created a street racing game that seamlessly blends online and offline components as well as Unlimited. The game does a lot of things right, with a couple hiccups along the way, but the seamless integration is the hook.

Atari calls this M.O.O.R., or Massively Open Online Racing. It is essentially an open-ended Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, sans those pesky monthly fees.

You start out on a plane ride to Oahu. You chose from a selection of virtual people, board the plane, and are off to your island adventure.

Once you have rented a car and bought your first house, you are transparently placed in what has to be the largest online lobby system ever devised.

Not only do races dot the map, but you can challenge other players by just driving up and flashing your lights. If they accept, they plot a course and you are instantly racing. It is a brilliant concept handled well.

The single-player game is beefy on its own right, but it is worth mentioning that if you do not have Xbox Live Gold, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about - not to mention miss the true reason the game exists.

In your offline adventures, you will find hundreds of challenges. More and more become available as you progress in your career. You need to complete these challenges to earn money to purchase houses and vehicles. You will need houses for the garage space.

You will find timed, race, and speed events to compete in. There is also variety on these three main themes. Sometimes you must race cleanly, without going off-road. Other races are setup as a lap knockout event.

Speed races sometimes have you passing speed traps at the highest speed possible, to average a target speed. These can be difficult and they require a lot of strategy, as you can tackle the different speed traps in any order.

Beyond racing, there are missions to complete. These are all the same thing with a different coat of paint: Escort missions. Top Model has you driving a woman from Point A to Point B. Hitchhiker is similar, though driving distances are usually longer, and it appears only guys need to bum a ride.