Like the real thing, superbike pilots with nerves of steel will go far. You'll need cajones the size of grapefruit to get your knee down on the bends but get the line right and pin the throttle against the stop and you'll be rewarded with a smooth burst of useable power. Throttle response is a bit slower than we'd like, especially when negotiating the tricky ess-bends and chicanes, but then a monster Ducati with 163 horses up its fairing isn't the kind of beast you can flick around like it's your mum's Honda Melody.

The commentary is woefully inadequate. An anonymous sportscaster only feels the need to make his report after the more spectacular getoffs. "Down goes one of the Ducatis!" the irksome fool shouts with regular idiocy every time you stack the bike into the barriers. As if you needed someone pointing it out.

The key word in Superbike 2000 is smoothness. Ride like a fool and you'll end up a mess but let the gas in steadily to keep the bike's balance keen, think about what's ahead and you're laughing. The Championship mode of the game should take at least a week to finish if you've got the stamina, but you can get to know the tracks and bikes in Single Race mode.

The learning incline is just about steep enough to keep you addicted to the two-wheeled behemoths. There's not a great deal of difference between the riders and bikes you can choose from, though. Controls are basic but then most people won't be arsed with transmission on a game like this; it's all about the need for speed, baby.