Moto Racer 3 provides motorcycle racing fans with the opportunity to compete in just about every event in the world of competitive motor biking.  You get on and off-road racing, and stunt and speed competitions.  Whether you enjoy flat-out speed or the precision of stunt riding, Moto Racer 3 has got you covered.  For dirt bike fans, there's supercross/motocross racing on dirt tracks with plenty of track features.  The freestyle mode challenges players to perform stunts on their bikes as they hurtle through the air off of jumps.  Trial mode features a series of ramps, catwalks, and jumps that test the rider's precision.  Speed racing challenges players to beat out the competition on grand prix style tracks.  Finally, there is the traffic mode which puts players' skills to the test as they must navigate narrow city streets, complete with traffic, while competing with another racer to complete the course in the fastest time.

Since there are so many different modes, we'll have a look at them one at a time.  The freestyle mode places players in an arena filled with ramps and jumps.  Players need to build up speed, launch themselves into the air, and try to perform various stunts while in the air.  Players have a fixed period of time in which to do their routine, and points are awarded depending on the trick's difficulty.  Stunts are accomplished by entering key combos such as "9 - up arrow - down arrow" while airborne.  The game is pretty forgiving when it comes to pulling off stunts - the player just needs to assure that the jump keeps him/her in the air long enough to complete the trick and that the landing spot is unobstructed.  This makes it possible for beginners to pull off some of the harder tricks right off the bat, but diminishes the thrill experienced when pulling off a difficult trick.  The toughest part of the freestyle mode is entering the key combos, as long, dexterous fingers are required to hit the proper keys with any consistency.

Supercross/motocross takes place on indoor dirt tracks, which feature small hills, bumps, and an at times undulating track.  Competition is based on completing three laps of the track in the best time.  Racing on speed bikes takes place on outdoor grand prix tracks, and challenge the player to negotiate tight turns and short straightaways at very high speeds.  In both of these modes the AI is competent in avoiding collisions and jockeying for position, but won't provide a lot of challenge for racing sim veterans.  The last of the racing modes, traffic, may be the most interesting, and is certainly the most dangerous.  Players must race the streets of downtown Paris along expressways and city streets, while avoiding all of the traffic that is apparently oblivious to the race going on around them.

The trial mode stands out from all of the others when it comes to difficulty.  Players must maneuver their bikes up ramps, across small jumps, and up onto crates, among other things.  This requires a high degree of precision when manning the throttle and brakes, which can be difficult to do.  A lot of players will find this mode to be frustrating, and only those with a high degree of patience will stick with it long enough to improve.

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