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Gremlin have come all over British Racing Green with their new release (well, it's more a shade of Go Faster Red actually). So our reviewer straps in for a furious fast lane session, but for some reason he's taken his fishing rod with him...

The aim of Gremiin's latest game, Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge, is to progress through 32 races, via three levels of increasingly difficult competition, until you can catch fish faster than anyone else. [Er, Andy. About the Turbot. It's Turbo, as in car. I couldn't find any fish in this game and Gremlin don't know of any either. Cheers - Ed] If, at the end of it all, you've scored the most points, the championship is won and you can obtain the coveted Lotus Fish Licence. [Oh dear! - Ed] However, the nearer to the front you are when you finish a race, the worse your position on the starting grid next time.

There are loads of options in LETC. From the main menu screen you can select the difficulty level from a choice of four (including practice). Choose one or two players, decide on the gearbox type, control method and swim bladder capacity and you're ready to go.

The practice level lets you learn to handle the Lotus without the pressure of having to qualify for anything. Then when you want to launch into a full competition situation, select Easy, Medium or Hard. Two players will find, joy of joys, that two player action is simultaneous screen is split across the middle with each half showing a view of the track from each driver's point of view (well, to be accurate, the view is presented from just behind the car). The two player option does run slightly more slowly than the single player jobby but when the action is this hectic it doesn't make a jot of difference to the playability. There are two types of gearbox to choose from: Manual means you have to physically push the joystick to change gear while on Automatic the computer does it for you. Beginners should use automatic but once you've acquired some proficiency, a manual gearbox allows for more effective use of your vehicle's capability to accelerate.

One of the neater options is the alternative choice of control method. The standard one involves pushing forward on your crabstick [I think he means joystick - Ed] to speed up while pressing Fire to change gear. This, however, leads to extreme arm-ache after a short period. The alternative control method is much more favourable and involves pressing Fire to accelerate and only pushing the stick when you want to change gear. Finally, the swim bladder option allows you determine your buoyancy in order to outwit your fishy opponents. [Oh, I give up - Ed]

There are 32 tracks in all, each increasingly more difficult to negotiate than the last. Apart from the fact that later tracks incorporate hillocks, dipettes and terminally sharp bends, these hellish highways are also strewn with debris and other obstacles. There are signposts, barriers, rocks, trees, oil patches, coral reefs and over-zealous fly fishermen which you must avoid at all cost.

Graphically, LETC is a stunner. The screenshots can't even begin to convey the feeing of speed you get, but take our word for it, this is fast. It's especially impressive when you consider the large numbers of vehicles on screen, and even then the 3D update stays dead smooth.

Sound is high octane, too. Not only is there a choice of three soundtracks but the FX are fabby as well. The engine noise is a real killer (the most realistic engine sound so far on a C64!) as are the screeches when you corner too fast. The icing on the cake is the playabilty. There's masses of it in the one-player option and at least double that when you play against a friend. As they say in Germany "Vorsprung Durch Corker!"

1. Collisions don't slow other cars.

1. Large range of options gives you plenty to get your fins around.
2. Screen update is very fast. The impression of speed will have you feeling green around the gills.
3. Controls are wonderfully responsive.
4. Sprites are large but flicker-free and wonderfully smooth.
5. Choice of two control methods is a stroke of genius.
6. Two player head-to-head is absolutely stonking.
7. Ice cool presentation screens.
8. Sound is a peach - and catch that engine effect!