Radica brand barcodes have the additional feature of being able to act as a healing code in the first 2 iterations of the game.
The players start the game with a basic vehicle known as the "Gizmo" and they must win a certain number of races to progress in rank, from Rookie to Amateur to Pro.
Hindrances can pop up anytime the players scan a barcode in the form of losing car to the police, being impounded or a modified car crashing into a tree and losing a part.
Each track has its own obstacles: off-road has bumps that the players have to avoid, drag involves car swaying from side to side along the track and street involves car slowing and sliding around turns.
Not all previous monsters are included but the selected were put into disks ("dizks") which plug into the orb.
Monsters can be obtained through scanning a product barcode, and made to fight other monsters through a battle with another controller, or a battle with a NPC when a barcode belonging to another console is scanned.