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Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another racing game, because it isn't. Revs claims to be a simulator for a Formula Grand Prix racing car and it does much to back this claim up.

The screen is the closest thing I have seen to give you an actual idea of what a racing car is like. If you've ever sat in one then you'll know that your backside is slung six inches or so off the ground and your viewpoint is low, obscured by the wheel and the wing mirrors. Instruments are all painstakingly correct, your rev counter dominating the centre of the dash. No silly speedometer on the top of the screen - this package takes itself very seriously. But what's it like to drive?

Well I must warn you that unless you've got an analogue joystick or one of the old paddles then you're going to be crouched over the C64 with fingers spread over the keyboard. This game won't accept the usual digital joystick. This seems to undermine the reality of the simulation. You don't turn a car left and right using a couple of keys do you? At least with a stick you get that impression of movement and banking.

Revs could be the best driving game yet, but it isn't. Pole Position and Pit Stop II are more playable if less realistic, and that's what matters. The graphics in Revs are well defined and the sound noisy and engine-like. Firebird told me there wasn't enough memory available to make it work with a digital joystick. I'd suggest they think again and make the courses less exact or, better still, drop one altogether. It's a bit of a case of not seeing the wood for the engine transmission.