Bowser Castle (Mario Kart DS)

Bowser Castle in Mario Kart DS is the penultimate track in the Special Cup, before Rainbow Road and after Peach Gardens. The tan stone of the Bowser's Castles in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit have been replaced by grey bricks, and stone paths have been replaced by metal grates and platforms. There is an absence of statues and the many Thwomps in other Bowser's Castles (this track only has 4) and there is no lava spouts, unlike in numerous other versions. In the background is a forest consisting of dead trees and dark mountains, as well as fiery orange sky. It features few gimmicks, but some of the gimmicks include a rotating cylindrical bridge, a small chamber with spinning floor and four moving platforms above a portion of the lava pit. The entrance to the castle is very similar to the one in the previous games. Bowser in the Hurricane is the Staff Ghost for this track.

Course layout
The players start by passing through a metallic doorway with a bust of Bowser above (which plays his laugh on entry), similar to to Bowser's Castle in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. They then pass through a hallway with Thwomps. After climbing a set of stairs they cross a thin bridge, which has barriers so players cannot fall back down to the hallway below. Next, they enter another circular room. However, this one doesn't have a Firebar; it spins instead. It is a large metal circle that spins counterclockwise, while the racers are going clockwise. A hallway with a Thwomp follows. This Thwomp actually moves horizontally out the window, then comes back into the castle. After a right 90° turn and then a left 90° turn, there is a spiral path. If racers aren't careful, they can fall a long way down into lava or back to the beginning of the spiral. It is possible there to use a Bob-omb on opponents through the tower's windows. Racers will then encounter a metal spinning log which they must cross, or they will fall into a garden and lose time. This log has small bumps that do not affect driving. The garden below is barren with several patches of grass and lots of pavement. The grass slows down racers, who may fall behind if other racers are crossing the spinning log successfully. The final stretch consists of moving platforms that must be driven across, allowing racers to take a right turn to the finish line. The metal platforms move from right to left but do not really cause much of a risk, as far as falling into the lava goes. Heavy racers can push lighter racers off; however, some of the path has barriers preventing them from falling. The path from the platforms to the finish line is a metal grate. Fortunately, the lava does not shoot up through the holes in the grate. After several turns, the racers will find themselves at the finish line.

Shortcuts
There is one significant shortcut in this track. If players go all the way around the circular room, they will take a shortcut. However, the shortcut has several Rocket Engines and a moving Thwomp.

Missions
Bowser's Castle is the setting for mission 6-1. Said mission involves the player as Bowser having to drive across the spinning bridge backwards without falling in thirty seconds.

Mission 7-1 is also set at Bowser's Castle. This mission has the player as Mario racing one lap against Bowser.

Official descriptions

 * European website: "As soon as you cross the entrance shaped like the Koopa king's mouth, you know you're in for a ride to remember. With sliding platforms over pits of bubbling lava and slippery poles where only one kart can cross, Bowser's domain is not one for the faint-hearted."

Trivia

 * It is possible to dodge a Spiny Shell in this course. If the player is in 1st place while on the spinning log at the same time that someone fires a Spiny Shell, the racer can fall off of the log, causing the shell to miss the racer entirely. However, this scenario is extremely rare.
 * If chosen as the first track in a VS race, the player will start in 8th place as normal. However, the number in the corner of the screen will read 7th instead of 8th. This is the only Mario Kart track to do this.