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Set in 2112 AD, Mach Rider casts the player as defender as justice and truth, destined to ride the freeways of the far-flung future and rid them of the evil invading forces. Yes, old mother Earth is in peril once again, and it's up to you to save the day.

Basically, Mach Rider is a Road Blasters variant, with the player whizzing down the road on a turbo motorbike blasting anything and everything. The proceedings are viewed in typical race game style - in 3D from behind the bike.

At the start of a game there are four options: fighting, solo, endurance and design. The fighting option pits you against the alien forces. Five lives are given, and you have to race down the road avoiding obstacles and destroying everything that gets in the way using the bike's cannons, or by bumping them off the road. Survive long enough to get to the end of the road and a bonus is awarded before the player progresses to the next, more difficult track.

If the endurance option is chosen, you have to travel a certain distance within a time limit. Unlimited lives are given - you just have to travel far enough to be able to go to the next stage, which requires an even greater range to be covered. This is far easier than the fighting mode, and allows you to rack up more points by being reckless and blasting everything that moves.

Solo is similar to endurance, but the road is far more twisting, and there aren't any other vehicles on the track - speed is of the essence here, as further distance needs to be covered.

Finally, design lets you build your own tracks and race on them.

Having seen Mach Rider screenshots I was looking forward to playing this, but unfortunately I found myself coming away disappointed.

The 3D effect is fast, but the road moves quite jerkily and the motorbike controls don't feel particularly good. The graphics are quite garish too, although the sprites are solid-looking.

The three modes of play is a good idea, but unfortunately the endurance and solo options are let down by being too easy, allowing a novice to get far into the game with little practice. Fighting, on the other hand, is very tough, almost to the point of being off-putting. The difficulty levels just haven't been balanced very well.

Having said that, Mach Rider isn't totally dire - it just isn't good enough to justify the massive £30 price tag. The gameplay is fun for a while, but doesn't hold your attention long enough.