Can you keep cool on the highways of America while towing thirty tons of fuel oil behind you?

Sega's latest arcade game, American 18-Wheeler, will give you the opportunity to hop behind the oversized steering wheel of your very own massive truck and go for a cross-country spin.

The most arresting feature of the game is the cabinet itself, which features dual smokestacks, a giant bench and a steering wheel that's around 20 inches in diameter. Best of all, there's a giant horn smack-dab in the middle of it, which unleashes an unearthly blast that can be heard all over the arcade.

Upon inserting your 200 yen (around £1.15), you're given the opportunity to choose your trucker, ranging from generic guys in cowboy hats to generic guys in Afros (who seem to be popping up in every Japanese game that comes out these days). Your goal is simply to lug a fuel tanker all the way from Key West to New York while watching out for rival truckers, opposing traffic and keeping an eye on the timer. Passing marked mini-vans results in a time extension and plowing into your rival serves no purpose other than raw entertainment. Shortcuts abound and flashing arrows lead you towards alternative routes.

American 18-Wheeler runs on the Naomi board and looks a mite spiffy. Though the frame rate has been dropped to 30fps, the visuals are the same colourful, high-polygon presentation that we're used to from Sega.


Courtesy of IGN.com