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And they're off!! Street Racer has been revving up on the Mean Machines starting grid for a couple of months, and at last, the prospect of a contender for the Mario Kart for the Megadrive has arrived. Featuring a massive 24 themed tracks and eight wild 'n' whacky characters to choose from, not to mention two bonus games, the pace is promising to heat up.

Join us as we take to the wheel and size up the young pretender for the Megadrive all-time greatest racer cup. Will Street Racer live up to expectations, or will it hit the skids before the first bend? Read on, and find out.

And Lo! Super NES owners were blessed with Mario Kart! Has the Megadrives turn come...?

Drive as fast as you can around a selection of tracks whilst attempting to punch your adversaries.

If you've been keeping up with the Street Racer exploits over the past couple of months you'll realise there's more to the game than first meets the eye. Not only is this a racer with numerous play modes, but a bizarre soccer clone and a battle mode game have been included. Time to investigate further...

Getting narked off with the other drivers overtaking, voicing their gripes, and taking swipes at your car? Then why not pay a visit to the Rumble zone? A perfect circle, the track is fenced in by a barrier that disintegrates after receiving blows from the cars. Being a right royal rumble, the aim of the game is to unceremoniously dispose of the other characters by pushing them off the edge, and into oblivion.

Surprisingly enough playing football with a cart is harder than it looks. In the Soccer mode it's a case of looking after one, as all goals are individual - the winner being the highest scorer within the time limit. There's a choice of three playing surfaces - outdoor on grass, indoor on a court, and even on an ice rink! Naturally each surface dictates the movement and control of the cars.

In total, a collection of eight guys and gals have entered the Street Racer tournament. As you'd expect from any quality racer, their attributes vary to make the competition evenly matched. Shall we introduce ourselves?

1. Surf
   This antipodean adventuress has customised her Baja bug to cope with the slipping sands of her native dunes. Watch out for that Beach Towel Flick attack.
2. Hodja
   The magician of the bunch, our Hodja drives a magic carpet on wheels. His Rubber Ottaman Dagger Swipe should take care of interference from opposition.
3. Sumo
   Coming from the future, you'd expect Sumo to have some kind of hover car, instead he opts for a tank and uses shock tactics on the other players. Slow to get moving, but with a substantial top speed.
4. Biff
   The token thug, Biff prefers matter over mind. His only friend is the trusty baseball bat he carries at all times, and his home turf is a monster truck stadium with sliding potential galore.
5. Raph
   The Italian Stallion of the racecourse, Raph enjoys nothing more than parading his sports car around the twists and turns of the mountain roads. Good on acceleration, but down on handling and brakes. A pretty good all-rounder.
6. Suzulu
   Africa's foremost racer, Suzulu has dedicated his vehicle to corner-hugging supremacy. Unfortunately, at the price of handling, the car has lost outer body strength. Rhino charges are his speciality.
7. Helmut
   The most serious member of the racer community, Helmut has opted for a mixture between a World War One triplane and classic Mercedes racing car. Hacks at the other drivers with his Spinning Side Saws.
8. Frank
   Originating from Transylvania, Frank's special attacks consist of a Screaming Banshee and Batmobile charge. His overgrown home graveyard is the scene for thrills, spills and spooks.

Street Racer is undeniably a remarkable achievement on the Megadrive. I was gobsmacked by the pace at which the tracks move - coming a respectable second to the Super NES' Mode 7 powers - and even more impressed by the attention to detail for the characters and their attacks. What's more, the Options are to die for, there are literally stacks of the blighters at every turn.

But regardless of these significant achievements, I did feel the gameplay was slightly lacking. The extent to which you can stray from the track is alarming - especially on Surf's level where you don't even fall into the sea - and the football game borders on the uncontrollable, mainly due to the ball always being behind you. Nevertheless, Street Racer is about as good as it gets and is definitely worth considering.

We've been following this one from the start, and it's good to see Vivid Image re-writing the rule book on the Megadrive. What's more, there's just so much to this game - an incredible amount of customisation, and flawless presentation. To balance all this, getting to grips with Street Racer does take some time.

Also, it can't be disputed that the game is at its best with two or more players. So get your mates and a four-tap together and I guarantee Street Racer will live up to your expectations...

Graphics 91%
P. A fantastic achievement considering the Megadrive's low specs.

Sound 79%
N. Not a great deal of atmosphere, the screeches and whines sound dreadful, and the music isn't really up to much.

Playability 86%
P. A good racer, and an extreme laugh in four-player mode.
N. Not a great deal of atmosphere, the screeches and whines sound dreadful.

Lastability 87%
P. Fun 'four' all the family with the split screen. Nice novelty games of Soccer and Rumble.

Value For Money 88%
P. You certainly get your money's worth with the numerous racing options, let along the footie and battle mode.

Overall 88%
The closest you'll get to Mario Kart on the Megadrive, but somewhat let down by its unimmediate challenge and slightly blunt control system.