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Problems, problems. You've just made your first million from writing a hit game and now you're going to celebrate in style - splashing out on a hugely expensive car.

The car salesman, sensing you're a man of means, offers to let you take out any of the cars in the showroom for a test drive. But which to choose... No problem, you'll take them all out with Test Drive.

Programmed by Accolade and distributed in the UK by Electronic Arts, it's the latest in 16-bit driving and puts you behind the wheel of five of the world's flashiest cars, and gives you the chance to put them through their paces on the open road.

Before going out for a drive, you can review the performance statistics of each car. The detailed information shown here includes engine layout and type, BHP, torque, breaking distances, transmission, compression ratio, displacement and tyres (both front and rear).

The view is from the driver's seat from where you can see the accurately reproduced dashboard of your chosen car. Above the windscreen is your rear view mirror, useful for clocking cops before they clock you.

If you drive through a radar trap, your radar detector will begin to flash out its warning. When it stops flashing you know you've been clocked. Of course, you can always try and out-run the cops, but don't let them pass you unless you want a ticket.

The road, you have chosen for your test drive, winds its way up the side of a mountain. Steer too far to the right and you'll hit the mountain wall, but to the left is a sheer drop down to the valley below, so the idea is to avoid any expensive little accidents by staying firmly on the road.

Because this is a public highway, you'll meet other drivers, some in cars, others driving vans or lorries. If you're really pushing the car to the maximum, they'll be plenty of vehicles to overtake while, at the same time, avoiding oncoming traffic.

To keep you on the straight and narrow, there are plenty of road signs. Some show the speed limit for that particular stretch of road, others show the shape of the road ahead, announces the beginning or end of a third lane for slow-coaches, or informs you that a gas station lies just around the corner.

Gas stations give you a breather and a chance to fill up with petrol. You will also get a report, often laced with heavy sarcasm, as to your progress so far. The report includes the time taken to complete the last stage (from the previous gas station) and your average speed.

The annoying thing about Test Drive is the amount of time it takes to get from one part of the program to another, the continual disk access being a consequence, no doubt, of the graphic richness of the piece.