US Gold
£11.99 cass
Reviewer: James Leach

People are always talking about the open road, right? But what do they mean? How many closed roads do you see? Well, I suppose most of Britain's motorways are closed at any one time. They cone off great sections which don't seem to have anything wrong with them? Humph! There's absolutely no reason for it! I'm going to write to my MP!

Anyway, here it is! The long-awaited review of OutRun Europa! And what's it all about? Well, settle down and I'll tell you. In OutRun Europa you're given a load of decent hardware to drive, and the whole of the EEC to chug around (in glorious 3D drive-o-vsion). You have to get from London to Berlin, but it isn't as easy as just hopping on a large main road. The route you take goes through France (Paris, naturellement). Italy (Rome, at fresco) and Switzerland (er, Neueschnittburgerstein, naturlich).

HONESTLY, OFFICER, I THOUGHT THE LIMIT WAS 230 MPH!

As you belt between these cities (and I do mean belt, 'cos we've got some serious fast graphics here), you've got to collect secret files which have been stolen from you. Interpol (or somebody) are on your tail, the reason for this is a bit unclear, but take it from me - collect as many of these files as you can. Oh, and also trying to get hold of you are loads of secret agents. They're trying to halt your progress and, worse, make you crash into things. They also try and get you arrested by phoning the police when you're just about to cross a border. It's getting a bit complicated, is this, but basically you've just got to drive like the wind.

Getting in your way are massive numbers of French, Italian or Swiss holiday-makers in their stupid foreign cars (which don't have a hope of keeping up with yours), so the roads in Europe are almost as crowded in OutRun Europa as they are in real life! The idiots swerve into you a great deal, so the only thing to do is go up close behind them, hit the turbo button and zip past on a corner. You only have limited turbo though, so have a care!

I said it was fast and it is. The graphics are big and dead colourful as well, this causes a wee bit of colour clash occasionally, but nothing too drastic. The sheer size of the buildings and the other stuff at the side of the road is impressive too. And there's such an impressive variety of scenery. Its so exciting, just like going on holiday! First you take a jetski from Dover to Calais, then you use a Porsche 911 to get to Italy, then it's powerboat time (in the Med. Later on, you even get to drive the F40, I believe. But I didn't get that far). So there's something here for all speed-freaks. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's a bit of a toughie as well (that's why I didn't get to see the F40). (Any excuse. Ed)

OutRun Europa was scheduled for release sometime around the 3rd Century BC, but has been 'in development'since then. And it's been well worth the wait (unless you've died in the meantime). It's a quick game (thank goodness) and it's also a big game - there are loads of megalicious roadside graphics to drive past, as well as big sprites of the cars and vehicles. So if you're a fan of Turbo OutRun, SCI or any 3D racing game, you'll want to smash that stupid pink and blue Piggy-bank you got for Christmas and rush out to the shops for a copy. Go on, do it now!