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The sun is shining, the tarmac is hot and sticky. Yes, it's the Grand Prix season once again and is Nige ever getting his Ferrari working properly? Probably not, but why don't you give it a whirl in Accolade's 16-bit conversion of the C64 motor racing sim.

McLaren, Ferrari or Williams Formula One cars are at your disposal, each vehicle having various strengths and weaknesses. Once you're satisfied with your selection, you are greeted with the race statistics menu. Here you can select either a Practice lap, Single Race (qualifying lap and the race proper on whichever course you desire) or the Championship Circuit (a mini world championship on eight tracks). Other choices include amount of laps per race and skill level.

While the general look of Grand Prix Circuit comes close to that of Ferrari Formula One, the two should not be compared. FF1 was an out-and-out simulator, whereas Grand Prix Circuit offers much more in the way of arcade-style road action.

Vehicles move in a generally realistic manner and track movement is smooth. Engine roar is on the wimpy side, sounding more as though the driver has just eaten a bad curry!

Ignoring this, Grand Prix Circuit is an excellent introduction to computer motor-racing.

I totally disagree with Randy. Being a big fan of Formula One, I found Grand Prix Circuit over-simple. Furthermore, I prefer the actual racing section of FF1 to this as the cars move and corner more realistically and the atmospheric engine noises are far superior. Admittedly, if you can't be bothered with a complex simulation, this is a playable alternative but motor-racing fans would be better off getting FF1.

Presentation 70%
Quite a few options.

Graphics 64%
Not that realistic.

Sound 48%
Farty engine noises.

Hookability 68%
Easy to play.

Lastability 58%
Ultimately unsatisfying.

Overall 62%
Rather disappointing.