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The future doesn't look very promising. Nuclear devastation has almost destroyed the Earth, polluting the atmosphere and the soil. Millions of lives were lost, but somehow the human race has adapted. Unfortunately, global warming is currently baking the Earth and water is in short supply.

However, one man, Dr Beaumont, has managed to create a water replicator which may just save the world and ensure a bountiful future. However, he has been kidnapped by a madman who wants sole control of the Earth's only reliable source of water.

One man has been chosen to save Dr Beaumont. One man who knows the barren wastelands like the back of his hand. One man who's that hard. That man is you. Drive along the road network, blowing up evil-doers out to stop you in your task. Scavenge around for extra supplies and collect them to survive. You need them to make your way through 28 different towns.

Just remember, the fate of the Earth rests on your shoulders...

This is best described as a cross between Road Rash and Test Drive, with overtones of the Mad Max series of films.

Drive along, blasting evil men on various forms of transport. Reach the next town, drain it of supplies and move on.

When you reach the next town on your journey, it's advisable to pull over and scavenge some supplies. However, the locals aren't really very helpful and the only way to get their stuff is to either beat them senseless or shoot them dead! Get the stuff and head back to your motor and carry on the quest.

There are two principle weapons for firing ahead in Outlander. There's your average machine gun mounted on the front of the car - ideal for blowing up bikers and cars. For air targets, look out for SAM (Surface to Air Missiles). Pressing C three times sends off one of these highly dangerous weapons.

Your sawn-off shotgun comes in handy for any targets on the road beside you. A window appears at the bottom of the screen, which enables you to target your enemies and let rip!

Pressing START brings up the map of the Wastelands and lets you see your progress. Although not really that helpful, it does come in handy to see how far it is to the next town. Will you heed the warning of your fuel gauge and pull over, or do you think you can make it to the next town?

Initially, I was very disappointed with Outlander. It looked like a poor version of Road Rash, with less variety in the scenery. However, I took the game home, played it for a couple of hours and now I'm converted!

The game is literally action-packed. There are loads of explosions per minute as you blast bikers off the road, blow up helicopters with guided missiles and barge cars off the road.

I love the way you can suddenly brake, causing bikers behind you to sprawl all over the hood!

However, Outlander has its faults. For one, there isn't really that much variety between the levels. All that changes is the amount of meanies. I'd have liked to have seen more variety in the actual backdrops. As it is I really enjoyed playing this and I'm sure action fans will get a kick out of this.

The main thing this game lacks is variety. At first, it all looks fairly impressive, but when you've done the same 'driving around and blasting things' for umpteen levels, the novelty soon wears off. Initially, the from-the-car view looks fairly impressive as you blast all and sundry to smithereens but then you realise this actually means that you don't ever see yourself crash - until it's Game Over - which kills the excitement somewhat.

The walkabout bits are franly appalling with stiff and badly animated sprites and boring means of wasting the bad guys. Having said all that, the game's not all bad - there's a fair amount of action and it's pretty good fun. But if it's racing action games you're after, I'd go for Road Rash II every time.

Presentation 77%
P. There's a password feature and some great stills...
N. But other than that, not a lot, I'm afraid.

Graphics 74%
P. The 3D is a tad jerky, but it works extremely well. The still screens are good too.
N. Unfortunately, the sideways scrolling sections are graphically flat.

Sound 83%
P. There's some very atmospheric music in the game, along with some decent sound effects.
N. But some of the effects do seem a bit flatulent - the other bikers' engines for one.

Playability 80%
P. The action in the game is fast and extremely furious and although the game isn't immediately addictive, it does grow on you.

Lastability 75%
P. There are 28 different levels in the game, which does sound like quite a lot...
N. But there isn't really much variety between each of those 28 levels, which limits lastability.

Overall 78%
This game is very fast and packed with action, along with some decent touches. Road racer fans with a taste for violence should definitely check this out.