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The Intercontinental Rally Championship is hotting up! Halfway through, most of the competitors are still involved, so the organisers decide to thin the field...

The game is set over the night stage and the drivers are told that explosives are to be fitted to a timer in their vehicles, a timer that can only be defused at the official checkpoints. You must drive your car through the dark pine forests, avoiding the other cars and attempting to catch the yellow car of the race leader. But the stage must be completed before the flashing timer runs out or... Ker-boom!

A person can only stand so many first-person driving games before getting utterly sick of them and Night Racer pushes you in that direction.

The 3D is quite effective but unfortunately is let down by poor car graphics and an ineffective display. The car is fairly responsive, but the cornering feels particularly sluggish. This can be extremely annoying when you're trying to steer past another car.

Buggy Boy proved that the genre is not totally dead, but looking at this game makes you think otherwise.

As a single player version of Pitstop II, minus the pits section, and set on a darkened forest racetrack, Night Racer serves its purpose.

However, that style of game is now long outdated, with the "OutRuns" of the world in vogue. A basic, follow-the-single-road, complete the stage in a set time style of game with straightforward graphics is too outdated to generate interest or excitement, especially as all stages are as near identical as makes no difference.

A competent Pole Position game isn't worth the time or money, unless you don't have that sort of game already (unlikely). Spend your budget cash elsewhere.

Presentation 39%
High scores and records, but not much else.

Graphics 48%
Good 3D but poor vehicles.

Sound 39%
Bland title music and poor effects.

Hookability 47%
Frustration sets in quite quickly.

Lastability 32%
The lack of variety severely limits its longevity.

Overall 36%
Save the two quid towards a worthwhile racing game.