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"Audacious" is the word many people use to describe US Gold's attempt to convert the monster Sega coin-op Super Monaco GP to the home micros. They said it just couldn't be done, they said such a huge mass of detailed graphics couldn't be shunted around the screen of the humble Amiga at anything like the required speed...

And you know, in a funny kind of way, they were absolutely right!

And in another funny way, they were wrong. What US Gold have released here is a very groovy racing game that bears practically no resemblance to the arcade machine whose name it shares! The most flaringly obvious difference is the addition of three new tracks (France, Brazil and Spain) which you have to successfully race on before you can be let loose on the famous Monaco circuit, a very dubious concept indeed.

If you're used to the Monaco track from the arcades, you're going to expect to get the Monaco track, and preferably without having to traipse halfway round the world first. You can see why they've done it - one track might be okay in the arcades, but would look suspiciously thin on a £25 game - but US Gold's Super Monaco GP doesn't give you the option of simply playing the arcade game, and this has to be seen as a major flaw.

So, not a great conversion... but is Super Monaco GP a good game in its own right? 'Yes' is the short answer to that. Programmer ZZKJ was previously responsible for Super Hang-On, the fastest and probably the best Amiga racing game available right up until the release of Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge. So who better to program a race game where speed was of the utmost importance?

Super Monaco GP moves just as fast as the arcade game, even with lots of scenery on the screen, which is quite an achievement on the Amiga for a start. It also plays very well, with sensible and adjustable mouse control so you can find the sterring sensitivity level that suits you best. The computer cars are pretty intelligent without being completely impossible to get past, giving you a real sense of achievement if you do manage to haul yourself up a few places.

The game's major irritant is that one serious crash puts you completely out of the race; something which tends to happen with dispiriting regularity. In fact, it's so tough that many players may never even make it to the Monaco track at all!

Still, if you're naturally persistent, this one's well worth a play or three.

Fast and playable, but maddeningly difficult, and nothing like the coin-op. Nice, but a bit duff as a conversion.