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Off-road racing is just like normal motor racing, only for mad people. The tracks are muddy, pot-holed, water-covered expanses of land. A bit like the beach at Weston-super-Mare, really. It's not the sort of place you'd want to take your brand new Metro for a spin.

It's lucky, then, that the vehicles used in Iron Man are specially-adapted pick-up trucks, with big fat tyres and mega shock absorbers - making the ride just about bearable. There are several tracks to pelt your way around, and once you've done that you can jolly well do them backwards.

Four cars take part in each race, with the option of either one or two human players - the computer takes care of the rest of the cars. Five gruelling laps have to be completed before you're shown the chequered flag. The nature of the courses makes that difficult - staying in a straight line is an achievement in itself.

It's all those hills, pits and bumps that do it. Your robust little vehicle is thrown all over the place as it meanders around the track. Constant adjustments to the controls are necessary to keep on course. Crashing into other cars doesn't help matters - you get thrown into spins and end up getting very disorientated.

A peculiarity to the control of the game is the way that acceleration works. Once set, speed remains constant - letting go of the accelerator does nothing to slow your progress. If you crash, the car builds up to the same speed again. The only way to slow down is to apply the brake. This can be annoying at times, especially when you whizz off from a collision in the wrong direction. You can find yourself halfway down a straight before you manage to slow down and put things right.

Extra bursts of speed are available, courtesy of your on-board supply of nitro. This potent petrol throws your truck along at a terrific rate of knots for a short amount of time. This is handy for getting a headstart on the competition, or when you've got catching up to do. It can be more of a peril than a boon if you mishandle it, though. Come off a bump badly and you could find yourself going at twice the normal speed in the opposite direction to the one you should be. Experience soon teaches you the right moment to use them.

Additional supplies of nitro occasionally appear on the track. These can be picked up by driving over them. Bags of cash can be found lying around as well. Loot plays an important part in this game. Prize money is on offer at the end of each race, and you can spend your ballooning bank balance on improving your car. Various aspects of the vehicle's performance can be tuned up, at costs depending on how good the upgrade is. Prices range from $10,000 for a refill of nitro, to $100,000 for a faster engine.

The sprites are small, but are well drawn. The tracks are viewed from a kind of pseudo 3D angle, with hills, dips and jumps. The four-colour mode has been chosen, with a muddy orange as the base colour for the tracks. The computer-controlled cars also use this colour, which makes them merge into the background at times - though their movement catches your eye. The players' cars are drawn in red and white, contrasting well.

The way the little cars bounce around the track is brilliant! The scenery interacts with the cars in a unique way, and makes this one of the best games of its type. There have been plenty of other racing games in the past, but Ironman is different enough to make it most definitely worth a test-drive!

Your first impression is of a wildly unplayable but fun game. The trouble is, it stays wildly unplayable...

Win two races in a row.

Graphics 79%
N. Tiny cars.
P. Well-drawn and solid-looking.

Sonics 66%
P. Tune plays throughout.

Grab Factor 74%
P. Appealing 'bouncy' action.
N. Keeping in a straight line isn't too easy.

Staying Power 75%
P. The tracks vary enough to keep your interest.
N. Not particularly playable, even with practice.

Overall 72%
P. A racing game that's on the right track.