" Damn, you know these PS2 controllers can be tricky sometimes, but with this one it is as easy as plugging the thing into the controller port and starting your game. "

      Title: Wheel Pro Racer PS2 by Gamester

      Format: Driving Controller for PS2

      Reviewing Monkey: Simi N.

      The Hype: Get more control over your racing games. Make perfect turns on those slight corners and those hairpin turns. This controller will make you a racing god in all your favorite racing games.

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Ergonomics: The last thing that anyone would think upon viewing this controller is that it would be comfortable, but, amazingly, they would be mostly wrong! This controller feels right at home in your hands. Even for those of us who have only used the controllers that came with our system since time immemorial the transition to using this controller comes very easily. And the best part is that the buttons feel awesome! Unlike the Dualshock 2 controllers, with this one you get the sense that you actually have a great deal of control over how much pressure you are putting on the buttons. And it needs to be noted that the D-pad is better than every other third party controller that I have ever used, because the D-pad is separated into four buttons (though they actually operate on the same two axis) so it is almost impossible to accidentally press left while trying to press forward; bravo! The layout of the buttons is easy to learn, and every button is easy to access with the exception of the R1-2 and L1-2 buttons. These are place in somewhat odd spots that will have you finding new ways to contort your hands in order to use them, but after using the controller for about and hour the this new physical model will be permanently locked in resonating circuits in your inter-cranial neuronal pathways and will become almost comfortable. The only thing that I really dislike about this controller is that the cord is way to short. If you are any healthy distance away from your TV you will have to by an extension to use this. 4 out of 5.

      Features: This controller works great. It gives you so much control over your racing games that it should almost be considered a cheat. This is especially useful for those of us gamers who were bred on digital control and even with the new advent of analog sticks constantly revert to tapping the sticks to the sides when cornering. Really it is amazing that this controller wasn’t invented long ago, it is just so damn cool! The only problem is that it doesn’t work for all the games you want it to. 4.5 out of 5.

      Performance: To make sure that everybody can use this controller, they genii at Gamester included and awesome feature that allows the user to switch between two sensitivities (one that I use to smoothly cruise around the track in Gran Turismo, and one that constantly sends me crashing into walls and spinning out at the slightest bend). Other than that the controller has the same features as the Dualshock 2 controllers with fully analog buttons. The one thing that is lacking is the total absence of the right analog stick, I’m certain some people actually use this for gas and brake in their racing games. 4 out of 5.

      Installation: Damn, you know these PS2 controllers can be tricky sometimes, but with this one it is as easy as plugging the thing into the controller port and starting your game. There are no buttons to push to activate the steering section of the controller. Everything works from the outset. 5 out of 5.

      System Compatibility: This is the biggest problem that this controller has. I can’t get it to work with a lot of games that I want it to work for (i.e. Simpson’s Road Rage) and some of the features don’t work on certain games. This latter problem seems to be very random, everything works great for Gran Turismo, but for Gran Turismo 3, I can’t choose between the two sensitivities. 2.5 out of 5.

      How it Compares: It sure as hell beats spending a hundred dollars on a racing wheel that only works for two games! The amount of control that you get with this controller is unparalleled. The ergonomics could have been slightly improved. The buttons are the best ever, but the cord is too short. When you add all of this together with and toss in the price and the practicality (reasonable size) of the controller compared to everything out there designed for racing games, this is head and shoulders above the rest. 4.5 out of 5.

      The Verdict:

This controller is something that everyone who has more that one racing game needs. It will make you want to drag out all of your old games and play through them (I have never had more of an urge to play Gran Turismo and I am tearing my hair out trying to remember who I lent my copy of Crash Team Racing to). **Has anyone stumbled upon a copy of Crash Team Racing that they swear isn’t theirs? **

      The Good: The controller feels nice in the hands, the buttons are the best on any controller I have ever used, it has a nice feature that lets you switch between two sensitivities.

      The Bad: The shoulder buttons will take some getting used to, and the cord is way to short.

      The Overall Ugly: You need this if you like racing games, but don’t even think about using it to play Metal Gear Solid.

      What it's Worth: Market and a couple extra bucks.