When Road and Track magazine decided to team up with Electronic Arts for the production of The Need for Speed, it was obvious this title was going to really cater to car enthusiasts. Since Road and Track is renowned for hard-hitting coverage of the world's "richest" cars, not surprisingly, the Need for Speed allows racers to take the pole position and test their driving skills in some of the most luxurious vehicles, including the Ferrari 512TR, Porsche 911, Dodge Viper, and Lamborghini Diablo. If there was a dream team of cars, you'll find it in Need for Speed.

	Players can duel against opponents or race against the clock in this amazing 3D racing game, along the lines of the Test Drive series. In fact, the game was developed by the same design team that created the Test Drive line for Accolade a few years ago. Thus, the product is more of a driving simulation than a game, although there are fun obstacles to overcome, and police officers to outrun. If you were driving a Pinto, outrunning police might be a problem, but when you're behind the wheel of a Dodge Viper, the cops are soon a distant memory.

	There are 3 courses to choose from, ranging from the beautiful scenic Alpine setting to the congested City course. The graphics really show the horsepower of the 3DO system, rivaling what is currently seen in the hottest arcade racing games. After players select from one of the 8 available "super" cars, it's time to hit the asphalt for some rubber burning excitement!

	Road and Track's involvement in the title is evident in two major areas, with the first being the beautiful photography. Photo CD quality images straight from the pages of Road and Track are used all over the game, and look very classy. Furthermore, the designers used the statistics from road tests to make detailed models of the cars, right down to their handling and acceleration. So the Ferrari will handle differently than the Porsche, because on the real asphalt, that's the case. 

	During the race there are 3 camera views available, including an in-car camera – with the car's dashboard and rear view mirror – a tail cam, and helicopter cam. These camera views can be switched in real-time, similar to Virtua Racing on the Sega Genesis. More camera views are added in the impressive instant replay mode, which plays the entire race from perspectives such as the "cop cam" and "opponent cam." The program is even smart enough to pick out the highlights from your race and put together a package of the best "hits and misses."

	Speaking of highlights, the crashes in this game are extremely impressive: Head-on collisions show cars rolling on top of each other, and since the car model is so detailed, the crashes look extremely realistic. One disappointing aspect of the game is the fact that you can run off the road, or turn the car 360 degrees around, but I expect that's because the 3DO couldn't support a full 180 degree turn of perspective. Nevertheless, this game certainly isn't on rails, although you CAN push a few opponents into the rails on the sides of the road!

	There are a few bumps in a rather smooth road for this product, with the most obvious problem being the lack of a two player mode. It would be great to split-screen race against a friend, but I guess they've left it out in hopes of adding such a feature to a sequel. I was also somewhat disappointed by the feeling of speed: In Road Rash, I really felt as if I was going 75 miles an hour, but in Need for Speed, 100 miles feels like a quiet country drive, when it should be mayhem.

	Road and Track presents The Need for Speed is a bang-up, gas guzzling package of first class cars, combined with a first class design, and excellent production values. This is unquestionably the best driving simulation on any home platform, and one of the best 3DO titles released to date. This game should really put 3DO on the map, as this is truly the ultimate home racing experience! So fill up the gas tank and drop the hammer – it's time to test drive that dream car you've been reading about in Road and Track – and feel what it's like to totally demolish a hot-rod car in a head-on collision, minus the whiplash.