Have you ever seen a rocket ship on wheels? We have at my house.

Not a real rocket ship, of course, but a car with looks that certainly brought one to mind for my kids. They fell in love with the "rocket ship," as they nicknamed Honda's redoubtable 2008 Civic four-door sedan.

The "Star Wars" look of the out-of-this-world dashboard, the huge windows and futuristic front-end design combine to thrill. And this wasn't the hopped-up Si model, mind you. It was a four-door sedan.

Honda, after years of building pretty prosaic but reliable Civics, pulled out the stops a couple of years ago and introduced an all-new model that kept the reliable part of the equation, but sent the "prosaic" part sailing out the window.

I'm told that the designers were fully aware of the heavy influence that technology, video games, Japanese animation and other cultural trends have on many young people, and the Civic shows it all loud and proud.

The Civic, with a lineup starting between $14,810 and $24,590, is now the excitement car in the compact sedan field, rivaled only by Mitsubishi's Lancer for overall appeal.

Ours was the top-of-the-line EX four door with navigation -- and just about every option you can think.

But for "old geezer" Dad, the looks -- though certainly appealing -- weren't the top selling points. It was the "feel behind the wheel" that got me hooked.

The Civic is particularly fun to drive because of quick steering responses, relatively flat cornering and strong brakes. Its 1.8-liter, 140-horsepower four is a "high winder," keeping those rpms moving on up the scale and cranking out tons of fun in the meantime. Fuel economy ratings are 24 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway.

Standard equipment for all Civics except for the entry-level DX includes anti-lock brakes, front, side and side-curtain air bags, full-power accessories, air conditioning, keyless entry, cruise control, an audio system with an MP3 jack, tilt/telescoping steering wheel and a height-adjustable driver's seat.

The EX includes a sunroof, 60/40 split rear seatback, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and other niceties.

The Civic takes care of its passengers, too. It has the top "good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for side-impact and frontal offset crashes. And the government gave the Civic its perfect five-star rating for the protection it offers to passengers in front-impact crashes.

What I also appreciated about the Civic is that it has relatively generous rear seat room. This is one of the very few compact sedans that still has some space left after you mount two baby seats on the back seat.

The sore points? The primary one for me was that futuristic-looking, two-tiered dashboard. With the tilt/telescope steering wheel in certain positions, the top tier of the dash, which includes the speedometer, is almost completely blocked. A lot depends on your height -- I'm short so it was a problem.

Critics on the Web have found a lot to like in the little Civic. They love the performance and handling, the impeccable construction, the sound of the exhaust, the unusual interior design, the fuel mileage and interior comfort. On the other hand, many long for more color choices, finding Honda's palette too sparse. Some also said the ride was a bit rough and wanted inflatable lumbar supports. Some also complained that the adjustable center armrest slid back too easily, the rear blind spot was too big and the door locks weren't easy to see.