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When Out Run was first released on to home computer, it was a pretty feeble conversion of the classic arcade driving game. But it sold healthily, mainly because of the name. Which was lucky, in a way, because if it hadn't, we might never have got to see this. Y'see, thankfully, when they came to code Out Run Europa, all the programmers kept from the original game were the name and the driving theme. Everything else was altered to produce a much better, slicker, speedier and more enjoyable experience.

In Europa you get to control not only the odd fallen-off-the-back-of-a-lorry Porsche, but nicked motor bikes and red hot jet skis too as you're chased all the way across Europe by the cops. The twist in this tale is that you're not what the cops think you are; you're a good guy in disguise. While on a mission for the government some important papers were stolen from you. The briefcase the documents were in has been spotted in Germany, in the company of two dodgy-looking chaps.

So you're trying to make your way across the continent, without disclosing your real name (you're undercover, you see), as fast as you can. If you knock any pedestrians down on the way, you can always claim diplomatic immunity, I suppose. And far any fans of Death Race 2000 out there, no you don't get extra points for a granny.

You start off the game racing along the white cliffs of Dover on a bike. When the roads are empty it's a piece of cake to put your foot down and burn rubber, but when cops, bumpy roads and fuel limitations arrive to complicate matters, the game begins to get really interesting - dead tricky but worth the effort.

Further levels take you across the Channel, into France and beyond, the gameplay becoming increasingly tough as you get closer to the thieves' hideout.

So what you have here is a combination of three types of racing game, marvellous graphics and superb gameplay rolled in to one. It's a pain of a multi-load, but when something's this good, why mess around with it too much?

If playing the original Out Run was like driving an old welly through a swamp of custard then having a fling with Out Run Europa is comparable to taking an X-Wing into hyper-drive.