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After one blinkin' long wait (due to major problems with Sega in Japan), the Megadrive version of Super Monaco GP is here! Unlike the Sega Master System version, this is a conversion of the totally spondicious coin-op that had jaws dropping like 16 ton weights when it appeared in the arcade.

The aim of the game is to race around the top circuits of the world, pushing your flashy Formula 1 motor to its very limits. You can equip your car with either an automatic gearbox (which is easy to handle, but the car moves like a Skoda), a normal four-speed box, or a honking seven-speed gearbox which is a real pig to control, but leaves everything else for dead!

Before taking part in a race, you must qualify for a position on the starting grid (this is also dead handy for testing out your skills for the race to come. The action is seen from the driver's point of view, with a rear view mirror at the top of the screen giving you an idea of what's coming up behind. Once you've qualified, the race begins proper, with you given a "last place" marker - if your position drops below the market, it's game over. Manage to stay within the limit for the race, and your prowess will be displayed for all to see on the high score table.

Before you start gibbering too much, there's more - as well as the main game, you get an additional World Championship game, in which you can challenge 16 different drivers to races all over the world!

Although the Master System game was totally different from the coin-op, it still rated as the best Sega game yet. Now the Megadrive version is here, and it literally blows away every other racing game on any console!!

Almost identical to its arcade parent (apart from a slight difference in the track layout), the only real thing missing is an abundance of roadside landmarks - but it doesn't detract from the game in the slighest. The graphics in all respects are the same as the arcade, and we are talking ultra-fast!

The scrolling is as smooth as silk, and roaring around chicanes at 260km/h is gut-churning to the extreme. The sound is pretty meaty, but the speech sounds like someone gurgling on hydrochloric acid!

The playability is spot on, and the car handles just as it should, spinning and screeching if pushed too far. With the addition of the World Championship, there's more than enough to keep any budding Nelson Piquets going for more than many a moon.

If there's one game that could persuade anyone to shell out for a Megadrive, it's this one. Miss it at your peril!

Due to technical difficulties, Super Monaco GP will only run on SCART Megadrives! Most console importers are offering some kind of hardware fix, which will make your PAL machine compatible, so get on the blower to your favourite supplier and see what they can do. Failing that, Spectresoft of Covent Garden will make the modification free of charge when you buy Super Monaco from them. Call them on 0831 469293 for further info.