Some of the goals are as easy as finishing the level with 15 or 20 seconds left on the clock, while others take a little bit of practice.  In one of the earlier levels, the main goal is to chase another vehicle around town and get close enough for your accomplice to shoot it until it blows up.  If the vehicle gets too far away, you lose.  But if you blow it up too quickly, the scene is over.  Because of this, you'll have to keep a little distance between you and your enemy and avoid killing him until one or more of the side goals has been completed.

A pre-set amount of Reputation Points is awarded for each additional goal, all of which can be completed in any order you choose!  So if you want to do one at a time, go right ahead.  You have to finish the level or else none of the goals you've completed will count.  Of course, this game is loads of fun, and the load times are quick, making death less of a frustration issue than you'd expect.

Given the fact that this is more or less a mission-based game, Chase's levels are rather linear.  You can veer off the path every now and then, but there's no reason to, so all it does is waste a lot of time.  This isn't a complaint though.  I only brought it up because I wanted to point out that the linear design is very, very good.  Although you're always driving down a pre-determined path, you never feel like a scripted stunt driver who must do this, but can't do that.  "That" can be done in addition to, and in some cases in place of "this," and vice versa.  (This being flips, barrel rolls and power slides; that being the destruction of property, other vehicles and any vulnerable object that stands in your way.)  The more stunts you perform in a level, the more exciting the finished sequence will be.

The replay mode is pretty basic.  You can't change the camera angle, and you can't do any video editing (you couldn't edit the film in Stuntman either, but it would have been a great feature nonetheless).  The only options you have are play, stop, fast forward and save.  The developers chose pretty good camera angles for almost all of the major stunts, but this one part of the game that could have been better.  It's definitely something they should think about for the sequel.

Chase's visuals fall somewhere between Xbox and PlayStation 2.  Certainly, both consoles have driving games that look better (namely Wreckless and Stuntman), but Chase does things that you won't see on PlayStation 2, yet it does very little that hasn't already been seen on Xbox.  The most outstanding graphical effect of them all occurs during any one of the game's major explosion sequences.  The flames literally wrap around your reflective vehicle.  We've all seen the sun shine brightly on vehicles in Gran Turismo 3 and Project Gotham, but never in my life have I seen fire reflect so beautifully in a video game.

That one cool effect will probably be overlooked by most gamers though, since the backgrounds are really plain.  They have detail, but the colors aren't very colorful.  This is an increasing trend among Xbox games, and I don't understand why.  It's the most powerful video game console out there, and can even perform a few actions that the most high-end gaming graphics cards can't do.  Yet Microsoft is the only one who has been using that power to its fullest.  What a shame.

Of course, you'd be a fool to ignore this game just because of its bland visuals.  Actually, you'd be a fool to ignore any game just because it didn't have perfect graphics.  Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver is the best stunt driving game I've played all year.  It's challenging, but not to the point where you'll risk losing your sanity.

Gameplay: 8.6
Being a stuntman isn't easy...unless your woman!  Chase (the star of the game) knows how to handle a vehicle, making it easy for you to jump in the driver's seat and drive an ATV through a crowded mall.

Graphics: 7.5 
Aside from that one awesome reflective explosion effect, Chase's visuals are pretty stale.

Sound: 7.5
The only time you'll ever hear the director speak is when you're taking too much time ("Hurry up!" he'll say) or if you perform a nice stunt.  That in itself is a plus.  Not only that, but the music is actually tolerable.  Since you don't have to listen to a word the director says, you can mute the game and play your own music.  Or load a few CDs into your Xbox and play them via Chase's homemade soundtrack feature.

Difficulty: Medium
If you like your stake medium rare, then I think you already know what to order when the waiter comes.  Here's a tip: don't get the Strategy Guide Salad.  I know it looks delicious, but you really don't need it.  This is one meal that you'll want to finish on your own.

Concept: 8 
The idea for Chase may not seem as fresh as it did when Stuntman came out, but it's still a very unique game.  Keep in mind that both games were being developed at the same time, so neither is a knock-off.  Both developers just happen to come up with the same concept at the same time.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Chase's multiplayer games are fun for a little while, but after playing them with some friends for a few hours, you'll probably go back to playing Halo.  Either that or you'll kick your friends out so you can play Chase by yourself.

Overall: 8.5
Fast, exciting, unique and fun -- those four words are all I need to describe Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver.  Sure, this concept has been done before, but in a different way.  There are less restrictions in Chase, which, in return, gives the player a whole lot more fun.  Sometimes less really is more.  That's definitely the case here.