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It is one year, almost to the day, since 1991's Road Rash tournament - the ultimate biker's championship! As you may imagine just like the world chapionship races, the object is to travel across a circuit using your skill (and your bike) to emerge victorious! The difference is that Road Rash races are set on highways, in amongst the normal traffic. The other difference is that any form of violence against another biker is allowed, and indeed encouraged!

There are five major leagues in Road Rash II, set across the same number of different highways. Each league has five races to complete before you are promoted. The landscapes offer many different hazards. Alaska, for example, is noted for its twisty roads, whereas at Tennessee, you can expect to find trees growing in the centre of the highway!

As you start to win races and accrue some cash, you can trade in your battle-damaged Shuriken 500 for newer, better machines. Can you get your hands on $38,000 required for the ultimate in the bike technology? Will you be able to ride it to victory in the most taxing race of all time?

Road Rash has gone down as a Megadrive classic. As you may have gathered from the title, this is the sequel.

Clamber atop your high-power motorcycle and burn up 14 other riders whilst avoiding the police!

Three different modes are available. Single player mode is much like the original Road Rash. There are two split-screen two-player modes, detailed later on in the review.

Should two players wish to race against each other in the normal Road Rash league, they can do so with the special split-screen option. The original "taking turns" method of Road Rash I is also available if you prefer that. In split-screen mode, the gameplay is exactly the same. The only difference is the scale of the graphics!

Music On/Off: A choice is available between a series or Rob Hubbard tunes and some roisterous sound effects.

Player Configuration: Choose your mode of play on this screen!

Password Control: This option brings up your current password and enables you to type in a new one! Cor!

Name Configuration: Unless you were christened Player A or Player B at birh, you might like to change your in-game monicker.

Once you've amassed a fair amount of cash, you're likely to want to spend it on a new bike. The bike shop has fifteen different motorcycles to choose from. The cheapest bikes cost around $3,000 to $4,000. Should you wish to race with the 170mph Diablo 1000 N (with nitro attachment), you'll have to save up a whopping great $38,000! There are three different divisions of motorcycle you can buy.

1. Super Bike
   Ultra-Light bikes are exactly that! With very little weight, these bikes are excellent in terms of acceleration and handling. However, to keep the weight down, the bike's engines are not as powerful as those in the Super Bike or Nitro Class categories.
2. Ultra-Light
   Super Bikes are supposed to be the ultimate compromise between weight and power. The middle-range bikes like the Shuriken 1000 are capable of speeds above 130mph! Just remember that these bikes are likely not to accelerate or handle as well as Ultra-Light variety.

There are five main levels in Road Rash II, encompassing a larger variety of terrain than the original game. You are allowed to race on each track as many times as you want in each level. The higher your level, the longer you have to race on the track. During stage one, you only have to race about six miles on each track. By the time you reach the last level, you're racing a mammoth 15 miles! Arghh!

The bikes in this class might look a bit familiar. This is because the mechanics have chosen the best beasts from the other two categories and attached nitro-boosters to them! Since these custom bikes are in short supply, expect to pay through the nose or them. In fact, the top bike with the nitro attachment costs $10,000 more than the non-nitro model!

At the beginning of the race, you only have your fists and feet to use against the other participants. However, you can blag a couple of different weapons to increase your damage potential. The club (as seen in Road Rash I) disposes of riders with relative ease, but you have to be quite close to use it. Your luck's in if you get the chain. This is just as effective as the club, but works at a longer range as well!

Should you choose a bike from the Nitro Class, you're able to squirt nitrous oxide into your engine a certain number of times, depending on the motorcycle chosen. A practised double tap of the 8 button produces this effect, which causes your bike to travel at speeds of 20mph in excess of its top speed!

1. Alaska: Gold Rush
   The rough terrain of Alaska is your first destination. Plenty of tough turns await on this level. Also, the road is littered with potentially dangerous debris. The in-game description names this as one of the toughest tracks!
2. Hawaii: Molokaii Express
   Sun-drenched Hawaii is your next Rashin' location! This level is noted for the density of the road-side obstacles, especially the trees! Watch out when taking those corners or you might be going home in a teak overcoat...
3. Arizona: Hoodoo's Revenge
   The baked dirt and sand of Arizona lend themselves well to the Road Rash tournament. Although quite easy to conquer on earlier levels, the action really hots up on later stages - with some especially difficult hazards to overcome!
4. Tennessee: Smokin' Mountain
   Tennessee's highway is situated on very mountainous terrain. As you might imagine, this roughly translates into a very bumpy road. The high altitude of the mountain also lends itself to a damp atmosphere and thus, a slippery road!
5. Vermont: Maple Run
   Maple Run sounds very easy to complete, but in fact it's one of the toughest races available in the Road Rash tournament! Keep a look out for bumps on the road that send you flying. You can't steer whilst in the air and you might land straight in front of a rock!

I'm a mega Road Rash fan, having played and completed the original game many times, so I was especially looking forward to this sequel. Having seen it and played it, I'm both relieved and disappointed. I'm happy to say that Road Rash II is better than the original, with faster gameplay, more taxing opposition and more bikes! The two-player modes are excellent as well - the split-screen action is mega fast and highly furious with no sign of slowdown.

So why am I disappointed as well? I think it's because the actual concept and execution of the game is no different from the original game. In fact, if you own the original and aren't going to use the two-player option, I would have a few reservations recommending it because the changes aren't really that noticeable. However, judged in its own right, Road Rash II is the most fun, exciting road racer available for the Megadrive.

Let's just hope that Road Rash III (should it ever appear!) is a completely new game.

Being completely motorbike mad, Road Rash is one of my all-time faves, and this sequel has been the cause of much anticipation since it was first announced. Now I've played it, my feelings are mixed. This is more of a Road Rash with extra bits rather than a completely new game.

The two-player mode is great fun, and the new bikes offer plenty of high-speed scratching. The problem is that those are the only real enhancements. Twistier tracks, motorway sections, real race tracks, off-road sections, trick riding, very congested roads and even stunts are things I'd have loved to have seen included in this.

Sadly, the programmers have opted for the same game formula as the first, and as such Road Rash experts will find themselves simply applying the same tactics they learned in the previous game to beat this.

Yes, it's a bit more challenging than the first, but really it's not as difficult as it should be, especially when you consider how similar the games are. The overall mark we've given is really for the benefit of those who haven't already got Road Rash in their collection, since taken as a game in its own right, it's the most exciting and addictive racing game available on the Megadrive.

If you've already got the original, though, there simply aren't enough enhancements and new features in this to justify buying it.

Presentation 95%
P. Excellent. There is a selection of 15 bikes, a password feature, 25 different races and some cool character screens for each rider!

Graphics 92%
P. Smooth, fast 3D update and superb animation on the bikes. There's plenty of variety in the backdrops too.

Sound 78%
P. Some decent effects - exactly the same as Road Rash II!
N. The music's not as good as the original. Perhaps EA should update their music player routines as well...

Playability 91%
P. Easy to get into and great fun to play. The two-player mode is an excellent laugh as well.

Lastability 93%
P. The two-player mode keeps interest high, even after you've completed every race in one-player mode (which is extremely difficult).

Overall 93%
A bit too similar to the original perhaps, but Road Rash II still delivers in the fun and excitement departments. The best Megadrive road racer!