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Really driving makes a pleasant change from the endless number of racing games and Ocean have produced a visually exciting game.

The race is against time over several stages and terrains and weather conditions which range from clear to dense fog. Night sections are also included which means care must be taken not to bump into the trees and other obstacles which block your path.

The route you take is up to you, but there are sections in each stage marked out by flags which gains you extra bonus points if you stick to the corridor they provide.

The graphics are superb, giving a rear view of your rally car travelling through a landscape which looks to me like a vast African plain. Trees are plentiful in certain areas but spaced sufficiently to allow you to slalom your way through. Other obstacles include obelisks, cones and hills.

You often have a choice of driving around the trees and obelisks or if you gain enough speed you can leap over them to grab extra bonus points. Hitting a hill will cause the car to somersault which also adds handsomely to your score but if you hit a tree or an obelisk you have to reverse away and lose precious time.

Speed is not always desirable, especially when there's a river to cross. Hit a river at more than 20mph and you're in trouble. The penalties you amass result in the car changing colour and you lose two colours if you hit the water at speed. When the car turns red beware your next collision will probably be your last.

An occasional pi-shaped gate can be beneficial. If it has any effect at all, driving through will increase your acceleration and top speed, hyperepace you to the start of a stage or make you go so fast that you can pass through obstacles. Some of the stages are so long that the latter possibility is the only way you'll succeed in getting through the stage without running out of petrol.

Surprise effects are given if you find a standing stone or a pulsating iris in your path.

The screen has the car speedo, rev counter, fuel and temperature gauges displayed beneath the action windows. Between the speedo and rev counter there are two arrows which indicate the correct direction to travel between the flags.

This is especially suitable if vision is restricted by fog or at night. There are two variations on the game depending on whether you prefer manual or automatic gear changes. Choosing manual means you have to watch your dashboard carefully for over revving and overheating.

Apart from the visual appeal of this game, you also get a lot more to think about than in any other car race that I've seen.