Lotus II

"A great racer especially in two player mode"

Lotus 2 : RECS is the follow up to the Gremlin classic Lotus turbo challenge. It takes the same racing format and adds a few extra options to make a very entertaining racer. RECS stands for race environment construction system, which simplified means you can make your own tracks, sort of.

The RECS system is a screen with parameters which you can adjust to your liking, this effects the course that is then randomly generated to be within the parameters you have set. Changes can be made to how long, twisty, hilly obstacle ridden and so on making for an almost infinite amount of courses.

The main part of the game is played over three difficulty levels that are then split into two types of game. There is timed where you must get to the checkpoint before the time runs out, there is also championship where you race against nineteen other cars. The races can take place on any one of thirteen courses, these include forests, deserts, marshes, motorways, at the sea side and even on Jupiter! The easiest difficulty level will ease you into the game but the other two will definitely give you a challenge and keep you coming back until you finish them. Once those levels are finished you always have the RECS system and then a random race option, these should mean you will be playing long after you have mastered the championship games.

The graphics are very fast and the scenery flies by while you avoid the obstacles and cars strewn across the track. Because there is thirteen types of track the graphics are really varied which makes the game more enjoyable and also keeps the challenge varied.

The music is pretty limited giving you the choice of four tunes and the sound effects mode where there is no music. The four tunes are your usual driving affair and wont make you turn the music up or down.

The game is best played with a friend where the split screen mode makes for tons more fun than the single player game. Any of the modes are accessible and you will soon be shouting abuse at you friend as they cut you up and send you into a tree.

Graphics - 7 - plenty of different scenarios adds variety.
Sounds - 5 - standard racing tunes.
Gameplay - 8 - fast and fun, especially in 2 player mode.
Game size - 7 - three levels of challenge.
Addiction - 7 - infinite tracks means lots of playing.

Overall - 7 - good racer, loads of fun with a friend.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/03/01, Updated 08/03/01