Sony PlayStation £39.99
The title might lead one to imagine a game on a theme of electronics but Circuit Breakers is about breaking records on motor-racing circuits.
However, this is no Grand Turismo, Need For Speed III or Formula One 97 for that matter. In Circuit Breakers the emphasis is on playability and fun and it is unashamedly like Micro Machines.
Players can take the wheel of a variety of super-charged vehicles and compete in a no-holds-barred championship where just about anything goes. Most of the vehicles are cars but occasionally you will be provided with a boat (for water courses) or a submersible for courses of the sub-aqua variety. There are 32 tracks to race on, spread across eight visually distinctive worlds. These include Wild West ghost towns, jungles, highways, swamps and canyons. Each of these tracks has secrets, hazardous short-cuts and jumps and failure to stay on-course will lead to a fall of monumental proportions. An add-on disk is also available. To get hold of this you must purchase the Official PlayStation Magazine. This disk contains extra tracks for single and multiplayer modes. Why they weren't included in the game proper is a moot point.
In single player mode you can try to win the World Series or beat your best times in time-trial mode. This mode also includes the standard ghost car which allows you to judge your progress. As with most games of this nature there are a host of power-ups (or power-downs) to get your filthy hands on. These range from oil slicks to suicide bombs. Gameplay also caters for those out there with a friend or two. In multi-player, or battle mode as it is called here, players can pit their wits against each other over a variety of courses. This is where its similarity with Micro Machines is most notable. A player who gets sufficiently ahead of another and manages to squeeze his/her opponent out of camera shot gets the point. With the additional powerups this particular mode can be quite fun. Circuit Breakers features a "new" type of menu where you drive your car to the location required rather than pick from a menu. This is a bit of fun in multiplayer mode because you have to race each other to get the pick of the cars.
If simulation-type games bore you to tears with their attention to detail and all you are looking for is a quick spin, Circuit Breakers could be what you're after. If you are a fan of Micro Machines this is certainly worth a look.
Graphics: 90%, Sound: 82%, Gameplay: 88%