There is everything in this game: thrilling races, malicious opponents and beautiful graphics. You will often jump with exciting when hit by someone just few inches from the goal or hitting a leader and outrunning him just before he is a winner.
To me Mario Kart: Double Dash is one of few games that truly deserve the name "The Familiy Game". Find few friends and you will be surprised by various game modes - you can play versus your friends or play as 2-player teams. I've found this latter mode especially fun - one player is a "driver" and another player is a "hit man".
Graphics and sounds are appropriate: the framerate is high, the colours are bright and diverse. The AI is advanced enough to keep you playing until all hidden game modes are unveiled.
The only problem with the game is there is too few extras to keep you playing. After few days you will know each one of 16 tracks by heart and win everything easily. Without a friend at hand you will probably you will then probably find Mario Kart: DD slightly boring.