A rally simulaton game for N64.

Original N64europe Review

V-Rally '99 lets you take a spin in one of 16 cars around 52 - YES 52!!! - tracks, in 8 countries, each with their own different terrain and weather conditions. There are 4 different types of Game Modes to choose from:

1: Arcade Mode, is your basic arcade-style race against 3 other opponents over increasingly difficult tracks and weather conditions. This is where the most stages and courses are unlocked.

2: Time Trial is the bog-standard race against the clock, to knock up a top time over 3 laps.

3: The Championship Mode is a near-exact replica of the FIA World Rally Championship as driven by Colin McRae and Tommi Makinen. It's set in 8 countries over 24 stages, and it'll have you tearing your hair out on the harder stages.

4: 2-Player Mode is basically Arcade Mode with a split screen and a wealth of options - most notable is the distance option which lets you select "Unlimited" distance. Cripes! As much as everyone likes multiplayer modes, I'm afraid to say that this option is lacking the playability of other games, mainly because of the bad pop-up and over-sensitive controls. Shame, that.

Your saving-grace while flying around the beaten track is your co-pilot. He'll warn you of all the upcoming corners and obstacles, and you really need to pay attention to him if you're to avoid flying into the ditch on the first corner. The only problem is that on a few tracks, the developers have screwed up a bit, and programmed him to say "Jump" for example, when there's a 90 degree right-hand turn about to rear its ugly head.

And this leads me on to V-Rally's bad points... The control is just way too sensitive for its own good, and when coupled with the car's oversteer, this can be freakin' impossible to keep the car on all 4 wheels. And that's another thing, the cars spin out and flip upside down far too easily.

But, despite these flaws, V-Rally '99 is a damn good rally game, with absolutely loads of tracks, and the Championship Mode will take you ages to complete. The game's graphics and car-animation are also superb, and it really makes it hard to compare it with the now-Platinum PlayStation version. So, definitely for rally and driving nuts then, but the impatient should try before buying.

- By Vincent Coyne