ONE mention of motorcycle racing sims and Road Rash immediately springs to mind and while it was good, it was fairly limited at the same time. Moto Racer, however, brings a whole new perspective to this form of racing. In fact. Moto Racer is far more like its four-wheeled cousin Screamer.
There are three types of bike to choose from - Grand Prix - Superbikes and Moto Cross and as one would expect from Electronic Arts. the tracks are nicely suited to each of these different disciplines.
One of the hardest things for programmers to achieve when, designing a game of this nature is to make you feel like you are actually sitting on one of these beasts. But with Moto Racer they also had to contend with the fact that there are two types of racing involved and they have succeeded on both counts.
When you take off on one of the road racers, you feel the need to lean into the corners and when you're on the dirt track you feel compelled to put your foot on the ground to steady yourself. Consequently, you have to learn two very different types of skills and with the intelligence and speed of the computer opponents set at a fairly high level, Moto Racer will be a challenge for even the hardened campaigner.
There are nine tracks (only four available initially) and there are the reverse and pocket bike modes to discover, if you're good enough.
The multiple camera angles also include one where you can see who is on your tail and there is also a replay facility whereby you can sit back and witness your antics all over again. This, however, is only available when you have finished a race. Another nice touch, which is very true to real racing, is that you can wheelie the road bikes and perform moto cross stunts at the touch of a button.
Moto Racer is probably the best two-wheeled racing game on the market at the moment and if you have worn out Screamer, then this should keep your adrenalin flowing for a while yet to come.
Graphics: 90%, Sound: 80%, Gameplay: 87%