Colin McRae Rally

"A great racer with the best handling I have ever felt in a racing game, and more fun than GT!"

Even though the intro to this game was slightly disappointing, I soon saw that this did not represent the quality of the playable action beyond it. The first thing you'll notice is the way the car powerslides into the corners, and that Nicky Grist ( the co-driver ) says when the corners and obstacles are coming up in his rough, scottish voice. There is an excellent cockpit view, and crashes look spectacular from this view, which is one of five, all very useful. Car damage, while not as impressive as Toca 2's, can be picked up along the way, and makes the driving experience more realistic, as in the Championship mode, accumilating damage between races actually has an effect on the performance of your car, making the difference of winning,or losing. There's a good rally school option where you must pass tests like starting and stopping your car, and driving around a figure of 8. You're then judged on Car Sympathy, Speed, and Control, amongst others out of a total of 70. While they're not half as hard as GT's license tests, they are still a welcome addition. Weather effects are all there like in most racing games, and the mud which splashes onto your car is very nice to see. A bad thing about this game is that for the main part of the game you are racing against the clock, and not other cars, but the two player option makes up for that anyway. This game is GREAT.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99