There are boosters scattered en route, which provide you with various means to beat opponents

Mario Kart remains one of the great multiplayer games. Rubbish on your own, mind. Anyway, here's Speed Freaks and it's extraordinarily reminiscent of Nintendo's great racer. But it's for the PlayStation...
Steve Bradley

It's like Mario Kart, you say?
Incredibly so. It's one of the few PlayStation games that's got Nintendo writ large over it. Cutesy cartoon visuals, expansive circuits, 'character' drivers, fiendish boosters and a four-player, split-screen option to boot. Unlike the N64, though, the PlayStation has but two joypad ports so you'll need to invest in a Multi-Tap to enjoy the whole caboodle. And have friends who own joypads, naturally.

Is 'being like Mario Kart' a good thing?
Surely. Everyone loves the game, don't they?

Hasn't the PlayStation been party to any decent multiplayer racers, then?
Supersonic Software's Circuit Breakers is by far the best four-player racer. It's better than Micro Machines. It's better than Mario Kart, truth be known. Unfortunately, no-one bought it. Fools. You can pick up Circuit Breakers for a song these days.

You're getting a bit excited about a three-year-old N64 clone, aren't you?
Sorry. Yes. Thing is, no matter how often people champion the PlayStation, the nagging suspicion remains that everyone really wants Mario 64 and GoldenEye. And Mario Kart. It's a kind of 'told-you-the-PlayStation-could-do-this' attitude.

So, Speed Freaks, then?
Okay, there are 12 circuits and 10 karts of differing weight (ranging from light to heavy - this affects the handling), each peopled by 'character' drivers. You can drive in Tournaments or Time Trials. In the Tournament, you race the nine other contestants, and they're pretty damned fast. Speed Freaks, even in its unfinished guise is darned tough. Still, if you're going to drive on your own, better to do it with Ridge Racer Type 4. Multiplayer is where it's at.