Well it is, except the missions are all basically the same and the game quickly becomes quite monotonous. You get to helm a dune buggy, SUV, pick-up truck, rally car or a military vehicle, all with different levels of strength, handling and speed. There's that road rage again. Graphically, Smuggler's Run is a nice looking PS2 title. Detail and smoothness or animation are all impressive, but the automobile physics are more impressive than the graphics, and provide plenty of adrenaline boosts when you bounce over sand dunes, or catch some serious air over the landscape.
Vehicles can take serious damage, losing body panels and spare tires along the mission.
Shadow and smoke effects are nice and worth mentioning. As you approach the horizon, landmarks subtly become closer and closer until you find yourself zooming by them. Gameplay is easy to master and each vehicle feels entirely different than the others. The police will yell laughable, idiotic, cheese-ball phrases at you and the woman you're partnered with, who's supposed to be coaching you over the radio, is the epitome of annoyance. She is annoyance personified.