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Rim Racing is a major sport in the 21st Century, attracting fans and television coverage from all over the solar system. Held on a banked circular track 20 kilometres in diameter with a circumference of more than 60 kilometres, this futuristic motorsport is big, big business.

Your attempts to compete in a Rim race are observed from a television spectator's point of view. As you steer your car along the horizontally scrolling track opponents should be overtaken or barged out of the way - but preferably destroyed. A basic bounty (in Galactic Groats) is put on your head and increases as the opposition is eliminated.

Your car can only take a certain amount of punishment and will explode if the damage meter falls to zero. Other indicators show your speed, position, fuel level and laps remaining. A qualifying time has to be beaten to stay in the competition.

The destruction of as many opposition vehicles as possible is secondary only to qualification for the Killing Races where railguns, missiles and flame-throwers can be purchased using money earned from previous races.

In special Tag Races, a car is tracked by a cross-hair cursor marking that vehicle as "it". If it is destroyed (probable), another "it" is chosen at random. The curse can be passed on to another car by bumping into it but can also be gained in the same way.

You may be transported to a mysterious dimension called the Fury. Many drivers have disappeared from Rim tracks to this place but, on return, have never told of what they experienced there.

I've never thought that two dimensional racing games were the best video games ever and The Fury isn't really the kind of product to make me change my mind. The horizontal scrolling is about as standard as scrolling gets on the C64 and the sprites are bland to say the least.

The game itself just consists of whizzing from right to left dodging or blasting everything on the track. Very inspiring, I'm sure (he says sarcastically). The Fury does have a few redeeming qualities though.

The presentation is very atmospheric and the music tops off the futuristic feel very nicely. But presentation alone does not a great game make and this game in particular is a mile away from being great.

At least there won't by any uproar over the packaging for Martech's latest release (remember the bikini-clad Corinne Russell?) - unless someone reads alien prejudice into the illustration!

The Fury is as derivative a game style as Vixen was; ths time, instead of a jazzed-up Green Beret variant, we have weapons added to a horizontally scrolling science fiction Pole Position. Control of your car is boringly easy, with your erratic opponents providing the only strain on the joystick, but add-on weapons are fun to use, especially the ego-boosting missiles. The "it" races add little to what is basically a repetitive game but, had I been transported there, the Fury dimension may have provided some extra incentive.

The depressing title music appeals to my nature, but the simple racing fodder doesn't.

Presentation 83%
Detailed instructions give a history of Rim races and battle car information.

Graphics 58%
Lack colour and detail but scrolling and movement are adequate.

Sound 79%
Standard engine and blast sounds, but an effectively mournful piece of title music.

Hookability 65%
Outdated race format doesn't spark enthusiasm.

Lastability 39%
One of two original features add little to the basic Rim races.

Overall 52%
An inoffensive old-fashioned race game simulating a hostile future sport.