Dom Robinson reviews

Price: £39.99

Players: 1-4

Driving and racing games are ten-a-penny, so what makes ATV Offroad stand out? It's not with the game options which are many, but also the standard fare. The race modes range from a basic training mode, through the MAXXIS Nationals, Stadium Supercross, Cross Country Enduro, each with different types of track on which to drive, chart your progress with the Pro Career option, or also enter the Freestyle Competition to see how many points you can get.

What did impress me at first was the quality and fluidity of the graphics. So many games like this could get bogged down in slow and turgid images which don't shift the polygons like they should, but this gives you the great feeling of movement as you throw your ATV around the track - although it's more fun trying it out with a practice round the canyon course, for example. There's no pop-up either. It's also a very playable game with control of your vehicle taken by either the left analogue joystick or the D-pad. My only quibble comes with the very hilly tracks - mis-time one jump and you're goosed. You'll stay behind your opponents for the rest of the race. The sound leaves a lot to be desired, though. It just sounds like you're farting around the track, with the occasional groan from your rider as he gets thrown off the bike... again!

ATV Offroad is excellent at first, with fantastic physics most noticeable when you come off the bike with the biker flailing about all over the place, with further agony coming as the ATV slides back down the hill and twats you in the face, but does become rather samey quite quickly. After you've played the different race modes for a while and the novelty of running about has been exhausted, for some that will be enough. And that was nearly me. I was going to say that I'd wholeheartedly recommend a rental of this game, but only buy if it'll provide the longevity you're after... but now it's becoming quite addictive as I progress through the career option. However, I was a bit annoyed at one thing during training when I saw a hanglider and I couldn't get off my bike and change the mode of transport. Also, one thing I'd like to see the end of: I failed to qualify in the fourth of eleven races in the Pro Career and while I could have another crack at it, it needed to reload the track back in - why get rid of it in the first place?!

GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.