Top Gear Rally

Like MRC, Top Gear Rally says it's rally but isn't, more an arcade-style racer that puts you up against other cars for laps of various tracks which vary in surface type. This is odd, given the otherwise impressively smooth frame rate crawls when other cars appear on-screen. There is no co-driver, map or other indication of upcoming corners, which perhaps explains why the majority of tracks are long, wide and unexciting.

The way in which the cars react to the road is impressive; they bounce around realistically, noticeably more so if you've set up your car with soft suspension. The handling itself could be described as a sort of attempt at simulation, but most often leaves you fighting to control your car as opposed to feeling as though there's a technique to it to be mastered. The experience is similar with all configurations, though I found it easiest to make the car as slippery as possible because it's otherwise stiff and overly sensitive. Though they appear to be based on real models, the cars are fairly ugly and it's disappointing that real manufacturers and models weren't included.

The game's biggest flaw by far is its truly horrible music. It doesn't fit at all, whether you're in the main menu or in a race. It sounds like it was composed in the mid-80's for an 8-bit action game.

Top Gear Rally may have been the best of the more realistic racers released on the console to this point, but that isn't saying much considering the competition.