It doesn't take much imagination for a driver to see himself, and his vehicle, as stage leaders in a cross-
Enter Toyota Celica Rally. You're offered a choice of either race or practice on three different courses set in England, Norway and Mexico. On the latter races are beset by harsh sand-
Skid Marks
My navigator was strapped into the sound chip, a collection of cued sampled imperatives like, "Hard left." He didn't mumble a single over-
The problem with the navigator, it turned out, was that he would call directions at the same point on the route every time, regardless of the speed at which we approached a corner. What he should have done was call later if we were travelling too slowly, or earlier if the car was travelling too quickly. As it happened he gave me the calls at such inconvenient times, given that I was almost useful as a bad backseat driver's ear-ache.
Next time, can we have a navigator who gets nervous with reckless drivers? It ought to be easy. Even though you can take a look at a route prior to the start of a real race and prime your navigator to issue specific commands at certain points, it's a feature which doesn't help much.
On the whole, the Celica itself could really do the business, as you would expect. It gave a good, early impression of its road-
Write off
I wrote-off one machine, parking it in the front window of someone's cottage following a quick experiment in aqua-
Toyota Celica Rally definitely requires acquired skill if you're going to get the most enjoyment from it but you may well be put off before then. The game itself does not give a clear impression of speed, and it's necessary to adjust to this before you can really get to grips with the rally-
The sound is the only feature that comes close to capturing the atmosphere of a mad four-
A really good rally game is still waiting to be made but if you can't wait any longer, this should keep you happy. It has some problems but it also has the potential to keep would-be boy racers safely off the streets and on their Amigas and although the crashes are annoying they are definitely safer.