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When Test Drive first introduced everyone to life in the fast lane some fourteen months ago (about the same time the original Crazy Cars appeared coincidentally) people started to sit up and take notice. The future of gaming, nice graphics, lovely touches and finishing pointed to a day when all games would be this polished.

Test Drive had one major failing - it left out any long term appeal. Its gameplay was limited to trying to keep the car on the road and in one piece for as long as possible. Its sequel doesn't look to have improved on this much.

Accolade have updated the cars you drive in Test Drive II: The Duel. You can now climb behind the wheel of a Ferrari F40 and a Porsche 959 instead of a Testarossa or a 911. Originally you could choose from five cars, but if you want any more this time you'll have to shell out for the Supercars package which contains the likes of the original two cars, plus a Lamborghini Countach, a Corvette and a Lotus Turbo Esprit. It's pretty academic because you can't possibly tell from acceleration, handling, top speed, gearing, and roadholding what you're driving. The only real value is the sense of fascination you had when you read those trading cards with cars, or jet fighters, on them. Nice enough, but it doesn't exactly make it an essential purchase.

The gameplay has been augmented by the inclusion of an option to race against a computer car. This adds to the enjoyment, but the competition isn't that riveting. If you leave the car behind in a fog of leaded exhaust fumes, or lose out and watch it disappear into the distance, you're back on your own.

The other cars don't offer much of a challenge so, as before, you simply have to make sure you overtake them cleanly and safely. Staying on the road at high speed is hard enough, and the limited angle of view you have through the window makes this harder.

What goes on outside your car isn't going to make your old copy redundant either. The landscape has changed, but only slightly. You still have to negotiate the Californian mountain roads and the foothills. If you want more, wait for it, there's a Scenery Disk which you can purchase with some more nice views of... California. Both this and the Supercars package costs £11.95 each. It might have been more appealing if they'd have included European routes, but I guess they're just too blissed out with the West Coast.

The rest of the graphics are adequate, the crash effect has changed little, though you do get a falling sensation if you come off the cliff. You still get the nice gas station stills each time you finish a stretch, but it would have been nice to see some random Cinemaware style pictures - a motorcycle cop booking you, a mangled wreck, a weirdo hitchhiker, a diner - the possibilities are endless, but alas, untapped. Which is why Test DriveTest Drive II won't appeal to the people who bought it originally, and not to so many others either.

Essentially Test Drive II: The Duel is a reworking of the original game, tidied up and updated, but with many of the same limitations. And what the hell happened to the XR3 option?