This month, three car racing games hit the street. Gary Barrett wonders whether the road to the charts might be getting too congested...

After years when it was commonly believed that Hollywood has done Vietnam to death, all of a sudden it gets its second wind and we are subjected to a barrage of 'Nam movies. We've had a field day of country films, a rash of nappy flicks and, most recently, a run of baseball tales.

Now it seems as though our computer games might be about to develop a similar craze habit. Admitted, car games have always been popular - with the punters (Fast, exciting and related to the real world), with the programmers (the scenario's done already, they sell like crazy and they often appear first as arcades) and therefore with the software houses.

Continental Circus from Virgin/Mastertronic goes for the traditional Pole Position route of racing around courses at high speed with little concern for detail. MicroStyle take a less conventional road, with Stunt Car Racer featuring strange cars, and even stranger tracks. Finally from Electronic Arts there's Ferrari Formula One, which puts you in the hot seat of one of the world's fastest cars.

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Way back in the dim and distant recesses of time, there was a game called Pole Position. It was a racing car game with two gears, a wheel to steer with, and an accelerator pedal. Many racing games in the same vein have appeared since, including the infamous OutRun. Continental Circus is the latest addition.

There are eight courses of increasing difficulty to race around: Brazil, America, France, Monaco, Germany, Spain, Mexico and Japan. Around each there are checkpoints to be reached within a time limit. Fail, and the game ends; succeed and it's on to the next stage of the race. Reach the finishing line and you can continue to the next race track.

Colliding with cars is obviously unhealthy, but you only start smoking (a disgusting habit!) when you collide. A visit to the pits gets your car fixed, but a second impact reduces you to ashes and loses you valuable time.

You have five credits to work your way through the courses, with one lost whenever you run out of time. Losing that final credit brings your game to an end.

Sound effects are good and the music is even better with some short but pleasant tunes. The race course moves towards you at a rapid pace and both scenery and cars are extremely colourful. There are a few nice digi-pics too and each track is shown in detail before the race commences.

One complaint. When your car has exploded after a second collision, you're repositioned in the centre of the track and have to accelerate from zero. Unfortunately, there are still other cars whizzing around the track, and since you can't see what's heading for your rear until a tenth of a second before impact you've got a granny's chance on the M25 of getting out of the way.

Other than that, there are no problems with this fast-and-furious game. Once you've completed every course, you'll probably only play it occasionally, but it's gonna take a long time before you master them all.

Graphics 80%
Sound 60%
Intelligence 40%
Instant Appeal 80%
Lastability 60%
Overall 83%

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Driving around a racing course in a car is dangerous enough, but when the course is suspended some distance above the ground it gets much more risky. Stunt Car Racer puts you in that very situation and, to make matters worse, there's someone else on the track too.

The action takes place on eight different race courses - two in each division. A division contains two other drivers besides yourself, and you begin at the bottom of the fourth division. A race season has six races, with all permutations of drivers and tracks used. Points are awarded for winning a race and for the best lap time. After all races have been completed the driver with the most points is promoted to the next division. Wining division one takes you into the super league.

The super league uses the same tracks, but the cars are capable of achieving double the speed. The super league has four divisions just like the normal league.

For your first few races you'll have enough prolems staying on the track, never mind winning a race: working your way up through the divisions is no mean task. Fortunately you can save the game for Ron (you know Later Ron, I hope).

Controlling the stunt car isn't just a matter of pushing your foot to the floor: if you do, you fly off the track and need to be hoisted back on by the crane. And if you don't mind using dirty tricks you can always ram your opponent off the track.

Stunt Car Racer is in solid 3D, seen from the cockpit of your car. Your opponent is viewed as a simple car shape, which for your first few games you'll probably see only as distant dust. Sound effects are little more than engine noises and crash sounds, and there's no music.

This has to be the most unusual care game by far, and it's certainly fun to play. Racing as many as seven other cars makes it even more enjoyable and extends its life considerably. Getting to the top of the Super League is tough: there's certainly enough here to keep you occupied for many a long, dark winter evening.

Graphics 60%
Sound 40%
Intelligence 50%
Instant Appeal 60%
Lastability 80%
Overall 74%

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The deafening roar of Murray Walker, and to a lesser extent Formula One motor racing, completes this round-up. In Ferrari Formula One, six race courses wait for you in a world championship contest.

More than just a racing game, Ferrari Formula One is a simulator too. You don't simply race round a circuit as in Continental Circus, but you must also keep your car in tip top condition.

You begin at the Ferrari test track, Fiorano, where you can get some practice racing in and carry out your car maintenance in preparation before going onto a pitstop tour of the world.

The first race of the season takes place in Rio, and before things get under way you have to prepare the car for the ordeal. Tyres, shock absorbers and the engine must be dealt with. When everything is to your satisfaction click on the driver's seat and away you go.

Up to this point the game looks polished and interesting, but once you actually get to the racetrack things start to go badly wrong. Formula One racing is supposed to be a fast sport, but playing Ferrari Formula One you'd never guess. Not only is the action appallingly slow, but it's terribly jerky too. Movement of other racing cars is even worse: they just materialise as you catch up with them, rather than growing in size as they would in real life.

There is a tune, which although good, hardly does the ST justice. Sound effects are dismal, just screeches and engine sounds. Static graphics are good and detailed, but when they're moving things look terrible.

Ferrari Formula One could have been a really good game, but the awful moving graphics destroy it. If a little more care and attention had been paid to them this could have been a number one game, but as it stands it barely gets out of the starting grid.

Graphics 70%
Sound 70%
Intelligence 60%
Instant Appeal 50%
Lastability 50%
Overall 62%