Ignoring the wealth of set-up options available, we jumped straight into a brand new TKM kart and eagerly waited the start of our first race. You start a race at the wheel of your kart on the parade lap just before a rolling start. We had just enough time to make a note of the impressive graphics before the lights went green and we were off… literally! Perhaps a few practice laps would have been a good idea.

In arcade mode you just select the track and race, giving the game a much wider appeal. You have different difficulty levels and control options to choose from but you don't need your mechanic by your side to make sure you have a competitive kart.  Like most driving games you have a variety of realism options available including the ability to turn damage on or off (although playing bumper-karts wont get you very far), engine overheating, tyre wear and weather settings.  You'll start with most of these options turned off and weather set to sunny until your skills improve.  The three difficult levels in the game also govern what type of kart you can race, with TKM being the only option on the Novice setting.  ICA and Formula A are available through the semi-professional and professional difficulty level respectively.

Simulation mode provides a more realistic experience by allowing you to compete in a full season's racing spanning each of the ten different circuits.  You can choose to race in individual events or a championship, moving to each circuit in turn.  Whichever style you choose, each event will consist of a practice session (it's advisable not to skip this no matter how tempting it may be), three heats and a final, with your grid position being determined by the points you've collected in the heats.  A wealth of set-up options are also exposed in simulation mode, allowing you to tweak your kart to squeeze that last bit of speed out of it.

In general the game is very impressive, stealing pole position from previous attempts by a long way.  The graphics are what you would expect from modern computer games and really do add to the authenticity.  Get too close to some of the off-track obstacles (trees, boards, people etc.) and you'll notice they're a bit flat, but the karts themselves twist and turn in near 3D glory.  One thing slightly lacking are the sound effects, which are somewhat less realistic than the graphics - if you're kart sounded like some of those in the game you may be more inclined to start stripping the engine down looking for problems rather than racing it.  Controlling your kart can be a frustrating business when using the keyboard, and I'm sure a few people will find themselves spending more time "mowing the grass" than challenging for the lead, but the moral is to keep trying.  It will be irritating at first but you will get the hang of it eventually, and be rewarded by a well put-together, fun to play game.  Alternatively, go out and buy a steering wheel and you may end up spending your next weekend in front of the computer rather than down at the track!  When you complete a race you can sit back and analyse your technique through a full race replay.

Play alone, or with up to a maximum of 4 players in split-screen mode, or up to 8 players via a network or modem play.

Did it disappoint us? No, certainly not! We have a few minor moans, mainly concerning the keyboard controls & sound but overall it's very good - a lot of thought & effort has obviously gone in to producing this game and it shows!  If you can’t quite get £50,000 to compete at the top level in karting, nor find £5,000, or even a grand, don’t worry because for just £29.99 you can now compete with the best.

Available from most major games retailers or direct from Midas Interactive Entertainment, telephone 01223 522000, e-mail to; mail@midas-interactive.co.uk or visit their web site at; http://www.midasinteractive.co.uk/

System Requirements:
The minimum suggested system requirements are: Pentium ll 266Mhz, 32Mb RAM, Windows 95 or 98, CD-ROM drive,  DirectX compatible Soundcard, 8Mb Direct 3D compatible 3D accelerator card and a force feedback steering wheel or joystick is recommended. We failed to get the game working on any of our Windows 2000 machines so those who have upgraded to the latest Microsoft operating system may want to download the demo first to be certain the game will run.

Reviewed 31/05/00

Screen Shots
Click for a larger image.

Marvel at the graphics, but don't forget the corner!

A range of camera angles are available, although some are better left to the race replay rather than whilst driving!

A wide range of kart set-up options are available to tweak the set-up of your kart.  These are of course optional.

Trying to control your kart with the keyboard can be quite frustrating - a joystick or steering wheel is recommended.

A total of 10 different tracks have been included in the game.