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When the very first computer capable of playing a decent game was unveiled, somebody thought programming a racing game would be a good idea, and they've been writing them ever since. F1 is another in a long line, it puts you in the cockpit of a Formula One racing car and gives you the chance to bomb about on twelve tracks in different parts of the world.

F1 scores over the opposition by being fast and eminently playable. It bills itself as being very authentic, but don't put any money on it - F1 is a simple blast around the track. The goal is to win enough points over a series of races to spray champagne over the crowd, wear a big leaf necklace and start a lucrative career in sponsorship an product endorsement.

First up is the options screen where you pick what type of game you want. There are three modes, as well as a demo mode, where you sit back and watch the car being driven by an expert. A neat trick is to put it into demo mode when people's backs are turned and then waggle the joystick about making out that you're a top-notch driver. Arcade mode is a simple race of overtaking, you have to pass a certain number of cars before you can go on to the next track. Training enables you to test out the tracks and cars in a non-competitive, don't-care-if-you-crash kind of way. Championship throws you into the racing season proper with the goal of becoming world champion.

The two-player game gives you a split screen display and the opportunity to repeatedly lap your friend who hasn't been up half the night practising. You can also adjust the aerofoil wing setting, the hardness of your tyres and pick either a manual or automatic gearbox. There are pit stops to refuel and change tyres if you find yourself spinning all over the road. Other than that, it's a very straightforward game. Control is either by joystick or mouse, the former easily being the best bet.

The graphics are up to the job, and more detailed than in many racing games. The sky is a flat blue and the ground a flat green or orange, but there are plenty of bits of scenery. There are some neat touches too. The roadside stuff is a mix of 3D and sprites, zooming under the bridges is particularly smart. The speed which everything moves at is the best part by far, it's fast. The game starts with a snappy piece of sampled music, the engine noise during the game however is less than pleasing to the ear. It's not so bad when you're playing but it drives everybody in the vicinity crazy.

Out on the track, F1 proves itself to be an excellent race, the control is accurate and there are bags of atmosphere as you tear along looking for an opening to overtake another car. The secret of a good result is braking. Anybody can put the pedal to the metal and zoom up to full speed. To have a chance at championship points you need to brake in time for the corners or the game deteriorates into top speed zooming interspaced with crashes. The tracks all look fairly similar but the layouts are taken from the circuits used in the Formula One Grand Prix. The championship races are fixed at six laps, which is a little too long and they drag a bit.

There is nothing technically new about F1, it's the kind of game you've probably seen many times before. Where it wins though is in the execution. Once the race has been going for a while you start to become transfixed on the road as it streaks past you. You can almost hear Murray Walker getting terribly excited as you work your way through the pack.

F1 looks exactly like Vroom by Lankhor. And that's not particularly surprising because in fact it is Vroom, with a few alterations and the endorsement as an official product of the FIA Formula One World Championship. On the back of the box there is a little note mentioning the fact that the game has already been released as Vroom Multiplay. Slightly sneaky really, giving an old game a lick of paint and releasing it again at full price. If you already have Vroom then you can forget this unless you're desperate or official products and you're a bit of a mug.

The original Vroom had a two-player mode which involved connecting two STs together with a null modem cable. The two-player mode in this version is the more usual split screen one.

It's not a horribly complex racing game like MicroProse's Formula 1 Grand Prix, you can leap into the driving seat and zoom away with no trouble. It's very easy to get into and, if you can forgive the blatant cashing-in aspect, Vroom, sorry, F1, is an admirable game.

1. Frighteningly fast at times!
2. Bags of playability.

1. It's Vroom re-released.
2. Races are too long.
3. Some very small graphics to keep an eye on.