Midway are set to bolster their impressive Dreamcast line-up with a slice of offroad racing, but will it steal Hydro's Thunder?
Andy Ashwin

Very poor. So is it Hydro Thunder on wheels?
Well it is a racing game, it is for Dreamcast and the name does contain the word 'thunder'... but no. How could it be? This isn't any of your fancy speedboat, millionaire's sport, south of France kind of thing. Oh no - it's rough, rugged, offroad vehicles, more the sport of mullet-inflicted trailer trash in the American Mid-West. But it is called 4 Wheel Thunder. Midway have chosen this word to identify their new range of racing titles, started by Hydro Thunder. They could have applied the word to Ready 2 Rumble as well. 4 Wheel Thunder was originally shown at this year's E3, under the name XLeration.

Eugh! Lucky they changed it. Looking good, is it?
S'alright, if you like that sort of thing. Fancy graphics, numerous tracks, hefty vehicles and a bit of multiplayer thrown in for good measure. Can't be all bad, we reckon.

What's in the garage?
There are four vehicle categories in the game: monster trucks (grr!), buggies, jeeps and quads. Each vehicle features four-wheel independent suspension and unique physics - the monster trucks may well be huge and have plenty of power but they won't be as quick off the mark as the buggies. And that's the truth. During races you'll be able to pick up some dosh to spend on vehicle upgrades and even win new cars.

Mint! Onto the tracks...
There are 12 in all, spread over six real-world locations. Some are expansive outdoor circuits while others take place in an arena. Developers Kalisto hope that this will "offer the player a combination of beautiful graphics and dynamic driving challenges". They're so considerate, aren't they? We don't know what the final real-world locations will be, but somewhere cold, somewhere hot, somewhere wet and somewhere really muddy are likely to figure.