A strange thing happened to me the other day. I was in my favorite video game store, perusing the shelves, looking for my next gaming fix, when I swear I heard the box for The Simpsons Hit and Run calling to me. "I know I've let you down in the past, baby. I know I promised you fun and excitement, but failed to deliver the goods. I hurt you, I know that. But it's different this time, baby. I've changed. Just give me a chance to prove it to you." I was, as you can imagine, extremely skeptical. The Simpsons franchise has been one huge disappointment after the other, so why should this one be any different? Still, everyone deserves a second (or fifth) chance, so I brought Hit and Run home.

Best idea I've had in a week.

Hit and Run is, for all intents and purposes, Grand Theft Auto minus the guns, death, and hookers. (Well, one does wonder how Marge fills her days, but I digress.) You play as different Simpsons characters, completing missions given to you by the denizens of Springfield. The missions usually require you to drive to another location in town and find an item or talk to someone. In variations, you have to elude some pursuit before you can continue on. You can run if you want, but it's far faster (and more fun) to drive, either by taking your own vehicle, or "borrowing" someone else's. In between missions, you can wander Springfield at your leisure, collecting coins, finding trading cards, or just generally causing mischief. The coins, which are found in healthy supply all over town, will buy you new cars and clothes for your characters. Finding the seven trading cards hidden on each level unlocks extras such as the multiplayer racing minigame. Although there's a lot to do, you never feel lost or overwhelmed. The missions are presented in a clear, concise fashion, and you can review your objectives at any time. If things aren't quite going your way, you can either restart the mission or give up entirely and come back to it later. You must complete the missions in order before you can progress to the next level, but you can go back and revisit missions once you've completed them.

Fans of the long-running Simpsons cartoon won't be disappointed by Hit and Run. With a story by the show's writers, voicework by the show's cast, and dead-on graphics, the gaming environment feels 100% genuine from top to bottom. You'll instantly recognize locations like the Kwik-E-Mart, Moe's Tavern, and even Mr. Burns' estate. If the folks at Radical aren't huge Simpsons fans, they've done a great job of faking it, because the attention to detail here is just plain staggering. You'll see billboards with Krusty the Clown hawking some new crappy soda, a marquee advertising a baseball game versus Shelbyville, Barney belching noisily, and Ralph picking his nose. This is Springfield in its true glory, or whatever Springfield's version of glory is, anyway.

You'll spend most of the game behind the wheel of one vehicle or another, with some better suited to certain missions than others. Your frustration level will vary during the driving segments depending largely on what vehicle you've chosen (or been stuck with) for the mission at hand. Homer's sedan, for example, handles pretty well, and is fairly durable. The Plow King, on the other hand, maneuvers like a pregnant hippo on roller skates, but is incredibly tough. You can unlock other cars by winning races, or just flat-out purchase them if you're feeling particularly wealthy. You can access your garage at any time by visiting one of the many phone booths found throughout the game. The sometimes ungainly controls of the car will undoubtedly cause you to hit a few poles and run over a few bystanders, though you can't actually harm anyone. A meter measures how much damage you're doing; do too much too quickly, and you'll have performed a "Hit and Run." If that happens, be prepared to either outrun Chief Wiggum, or pay a fine.

The gameplay isn't terribly deep, but it's satisfying and fun. Controls are extremely basic, and limited to a few simple button presses. On foot, you can jump, run, and attack, which is used more to break things open than to actually hurt anyone. The driving controls are equally simple: hit the A button for the gas, and the X button for the brake. The B button is your emergency brake; used properly, you can slide around corners or perform a quick 180° turn. The controls aren't terribly responsive, but they get the job done well enough.

Simpsonsphiles will be twitching with glee whenever anyone in the game opens his or her mouth. Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardly Smith…everyone who's everyone on The Simpsons is here and delivering their lines with the casual brilliance that comes from years of experience. The dialogue is hilarious, and although I got a little tired of hearing some of Bart's one-liners as he was driving, it was never annoying enough to cut into my fun. The music is perky, peppy, and exactly what it should be.

Homer and company are well-represented in their 3d forms, but they look a bit unfinished without the black outlines of their 2d counterparts. (Every third game that comes out these days is cel-shaded. Why not this one, which actually should be?) When characters speak, their mouths flap wildly without ever approaching any kind of synchronization with what's being said. When you release the cache of coins from a box or soda machine, it's not uncommon for the coins to go sailing through walls and can become unobtainable. Still, these are minor complaints. Hit and Run maintains the look and feel of its source material with enough accuracy to do Matt Groening proud.

The weak link in Hit and Run's chain is the replayability. Tracking down each and every collectable and finishing all the missions will take a bit of time, but once you're done, there's just not much reason to play again. Unless, of course, you're the type of Simpsons fan who's seen the Duffworld episode 25 times and still laughs at all the jokes.

The Simpsons Hit and Run is rewarding for many different types of gamers. It takes away the violence of Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City while leaving the core gameplay structure in tact, thus pleasing soccer moms everywhere. For GTA junkies who've finished both games several times over, Hit and Run provides a likeable, goofy fix until the next GTA ships. For fans of the show, it's a buffet of sound bites, in-jokes, and sight gags. If you don't fall into one of those categories, fear not. Between winning the races, tracking down all the hidden goodies, and completing the storyline missions, you'll have more than enough to keep you happily occupied. It's a great day in Springfield: the Simpsons franchise officially has been redeemed.