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There are so many racing games out at the moment that if you laid them all out in a row, they'd reach the finish line without moving. For any racing game to stand a chance in today's market it must be pretty damn good. Gremlin reckon that Team Suzuki is "probably the smoothest scrolling ploygon racing game ever". An oft-heard claim for sure. But is it true?

Three different bikes and sixteen different tracks from around the world provide plenty of scope for experimentation. It's best to start with the smallest bike, the 125cc. This is an automatic, so you don't have to worry about changing gears. The larger bikes have six gears and are far more powerful.

Control is via mouse or joystick, with the former being more responsive and intuitive, although it's a bit awkward trying to change gear on the keyboard and scream around a hairpin bend at the same time. Fortunately, you can hone your skills on the practice track without any other riders around to complicate things.

When you're ready, you can take on the real thing against seven other pros, either in a single race or a full season. Go off-track during a heat and you hear a jarring noise where your bike is being damaged. Your position is displayed at the end of each lap or when you pass another rider.

For once a software company tells the truth - the scrolling really is smooth. But this is partly because the trackside graphics are so simple - large square grey blocks for buildings and yellow triangles which are supposed to be trees. It's the same story for the competitors. Their bikes look more like the Light Cycles from TRON. There's a nice hefty motorbikin' sample over the title screens, but during the game the bike sadly sounds like a 2CV running on a nine volt battery.

If you're one of those people who just can't do without every single racing game in the entire universe, you'll like Team Suzuki. If, on the other hand, you never want to see another dashboard view again, it offers nothing new. The much-trumpeted co-operation between Gremlin and Suzuki doesn't seem to have added much to the gameplay - apart from the accuracy of the racetracks. The end result is nothing more or less than a competent but bland racer.