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They say "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." But then again, they also carnally allege that "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." I must admit to never being quite sure who to believe, but after playing Toyota Celica GT Rally. I think I'll use Head and Shoulders for life. [Eh? - Ed]

I mean, take the title Toyota Celica GT Rally. It hardly has the same 'ooomph' as something like Hard Drivin' or OutRun, does it? Which is uncanny, because Toyota Celica GT Rally is a kind of cross between those two games, and as such has little of the aforementioned 'ooomph' in the gameplay department either.

To get a proper idea of what I mean, either (a) look at the screenshot, or (b) imagine the in-car view and kind of 3D effect of Hard Drivin' (with optional gears and all that palaver), then add the jerky sprites which increase in size as they come towards you of an OutRun-style game. Gremlin may be undisputed masters of the driving game at the moment, but this dates from the period when they were just starting to get their act together, and as such may disappoint those buyers hoping for a £7.99 version of the great Lotus II.

The other point of comparison is, of course, Test Drive, which featured a similar combination of 3D and sprites, though in Test Drive you weren't driving a Toyota, you weren't racing around a load of tracks, and the computer didn't shriek "Left", "Right", "Hard left" and "Hard right" every time you needed to turn left, right and so on. Test Drive also didn't give you the choice to enter the world rally championship, nor did it including different weather conditions, both of which weigh things heavily in Toyota's favour.

In short, this is still the best rally game, if only because there aren't many others, and fans are bound to be quite keen on it. Me? I thought the graphics a bit naff, the car handled badly and, all in all, I found it a rather boring and unmoving experience. But then, what did you expect from a game that claims to have been written by 'Fungus the Bogeymen'?

An average sort of driving game which, all things considered, is a little too boring for comfort. Rally fans only have this and Lombard to choose from.