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There's this Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, you see, and they're racing across America... What do you mean, you've heard it all before? This is a new game, honest!

What must be the world's two most battered supercars are once again wheeled out for another head-to-head race across the 55mph roads of the US of A. The kid gloves are off and the driving gloves slipped on, for a race against the other car or the clock in what sets out to be a true driving sim rather than a go-faster boy-racer arcade blast.

Once the flag goes down and the race begins, you can drive either the Ferrari or the Porsche to breaking point and beyond. True to the simulation theme, you are placed behind the windscreen rather than the car, so you can watch the dials and gears in situ, as it were. This limits your view, but is more realistic - and besides, what is there to see at 190mph?

In front of you is lurid yellow desert, with the two-lane blacktop scything across the landscape. A quick glance in the mirror tells you it's time to go as your competitor's gunning his engine behind. The sound effects grumble from a subterranean grumble to a feeble rasp like a bee with a grudge, and your motor slowly, slowly, picks up pace. The speedo and the actual speed of the car seem to have little in common, which leaves you relying on gut instinct but isolated from the game.

Both cars handle like Rod's Skoda [How many more times? I don't have a Skoda! - Ed], with a massive tendency to oversteer at the slightest hint of a bend. This is something you're constantly adjusting as you scream (eventually) along the highway. The first stage is simple flatland excursion, and the second takes you to the more interesting and perilous mountains, complete with tunnels and long drops. Hazards come in the shape of trees, your competitor and other slower (yes, slower!) cars. You must complete a set distance before running out of gas while driving as fast as possible. That's as exciting as it gets; a fast drive through some pretty featureless countryside amidst a host of real bad drivers and roadhogs.

The driving is controlled by either joystick or a particularly odd set of undefinable keys, making life even harder. This driving control lark proves to be simple idea that's rather hard to execute. You're supposed to push forward to accelerate, back to brake, press the trigger to change gear etc, but that's not the problem. For a game that aims to recreate the sensation of driving wildly powerful machines, there is precious little to do and when you do try to make something happen it takes ages to show up on-screen.

The major irritation is the horrendous collision detection that plagues even the most sensible overtaking manoeuvre. The standard way of burning someone off in motor sport is to approach directly from behind, disguising which side you're going to pass them on. In Test Drive II this is impossible as your wind-screen shatters - signifying a crash - when you're ten feet behind their rear bumper...!

The featureless landscapes are too flat, and offer too few reference points to provide the illusion of speed. The other cars are unclear and jumpy, which makes avoiding them the only sensible course of action. This spoils the game, as you're reduced to staying on the road and out of the repair shop rather than racing.

There are plans to introduce a further set of tracks and cars as supplementary software for the game later in the year. Let's hope the variety's a bit more marked than that shown between the Porsche and Ferrari.

With so many car games in recent months the competition has suddenly become a lot tougher and more is expected from both graphics and gameplay than ever before. Test Drive II unfortunately doesn't deliver on either score.

The car's hard to control, the backdrops are tedious single colours and the course unexciting. Test Drive II is little improved over the original.

No loss.

Complete Stage Three.

Graphics 54%
P. Ambitious attempt at simulation.
N. Dull landscapes

Sonics 3%
N. No music.
N. 'Bee'-like engine noise.

Grab Factor 56%
P. Appealing, if ageing, idea.
N. Hard to control.

Staying Power 45%
P. Long roads to travel.
P. Lacks impetus.

Overall 44%
P. A game that stalls on the grid.