Editor's note: "The Simpsons Movie" opens today in theaters. Here's a look at a classic video game based on the animated characters.

Game: "The Simpsons: Road Rage"

Console: PlayStation 2 (also for XBox, GameCube)

Developer/publisher: Fox Interactive/Electronic Arts

Release Date: Nov. 24, 2001

Genre: Driving

Number of players: One

Rated: Everyone

Premise: The evil Montgomery Burns is up to his sleazy ways yet again. This time, he buys Springfield's transit system and gouges residents with exorbitant prices. The townspeople unite, using their own cars as taxis to generate enough fare money to free their buses.

Game play: Right away, the similarities to "Crazy Taxi" are as obvious as a snowplow crashing through your living room, so your enjoyment of this game can be predicted on how much you liked "Crazy Taxi."

The foundation is simple. You pick a driver, you pick up as many fares as possible; repeat. Your success depends on how fast you can get your passengers delivered. With every fare, you earn money and a few seconds added to your clock.

Cash unlocks rewards such as different starting points around Springfield and more drivers. At first, your choice of cabbie is limited to the Simpson family, even Bart and Lisa.

Developers did an amazing job in getting references to "The Simpsons" into the game. The theater's marquee advertises "The Itchy & Scratchy Movie" and the chalkboard in Bart's classroom reads, "This is not a clue ... or is it?" The same line appears in the opening sequence in the episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns (Part 1)?"

If the game play gets too repetitive for you (in about a half hour, tops), there's a mission mode that includes a ladder of 10 objectives that unlocks a secret car upon completion.

Tip: Setting your PlayStation's console clock to Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas 2001 or New Year's 2002 will unlock character costumes available only on those dates. Also, after failing a mission several times, the menu will give you a skip option. You can skip until level 10 but must beat it to unlock the special prize: the car Homer designed for his brother's company.

My view: A "Simpsons" fan my whole life, I enjoyed this game mostly because it tapped into my nostalgia for when the show wasn't a shell of its former self (a degeneration that started in Season 9). The developers did a good job at capturing the self-referential aspect of the show and displayed a sense of how "Simpsons" fans like their games.

That's the only thing that puts "Road Rage" a step above "Crazy Taxi," which I always found repetitive, boring and overrated. It's also better than attempts to put America's favorite animated family into wrestling and skateboarding titles. Ay, caramba!

Jeremy Castillo, who received an associate of arts degree from Windward Community College, is a student at the University of Idaho.