Super Monaco GP 2 review - Sega Master System

Monaco is famous for two things - the motor racing Grand Prix and Princess Stephanie. Interestingly enough, a game involving Princess Stephanie doesn't exist, so we'll just have to settle for another game about the Grand Prix. The sequel to Super Monaco GP, cleverly named Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II, comes with some dazzling new features. There's a construction option which gives the driver the chance to build the kind of car that suits him. Any self-respecting racing driver can tell you that in wet weather hard grip tyres are essential. The gears, wings and transmission can also be changed. Once the car is set, qualifying for pole position is the next priority. Getting a good lap time improves your grid position, giving the driver a greater chance of being first past the chequered flag.

If there is one man who is more likely to get his hands on the cup, it's Ayrton Senna, who endorses the game and offers advice on how to tackle the exhausting circuits. Total concentration is necessary to successfully negotiate the bends and take full advantage of the straights. But if Senna does win there is one concession - he's being thrashed by Mansell this season!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

Aaargh! What's gone wrong? The original Super Monaco GP was great - this sequel is absolute cack. For a start the game is unbelievably slow. Even at top speed the car chugs along like a knackered Yugo. Worse still is the jarring, grating sound. It's truly dire and had me reaching for the volume knob within a few seconds. Finally, the challenge level is very low. It takes very little practice to master how the car handles, and once you've got used to banging it down one gear for a 90 degree right and two gears for anything tighter and then changing up as you exit the bend you'll never crash and win all the time. If you're a speed freak after some excitement, check out the original Super Monaco GP, Chase HQ, Battle Outrun, Outrun... anything, really, except this hopeless travesty.

First impressions are promising. The range of options is more impressive than the Megadrive version, and although the idea of constructing the car is nothing new, it's still a useful option, as is Senna's advice corner. Once I started racing though it was a different story. The speedometer might claim the car is doing 300 kph, but I found myself expecting the vicar to come wheeling past on his bicycle. Basically, the whole concept of speed is unrealistic. Some of the blame for this can be directed a the graphics which, while not disastrous, do little to enhance the Formula One atmosphere. The music and sound effects contribute nothing to the Grand Prix experience either - the engine sounds like a psychotic hair-dryer! Super Monaco GP II is a big disappointment and isn't a game I can recommend at all - even to the most inept of drivers.