PC CD-ROM minimum system requirements: Pentium; 8MB RAM; 20MB hard disk space; Windows 95; Dual speed CD-ROM drive; SVGA. Price not available.
BIGFOOT has a lot to answer for. No, not the big hairy fella - I'm talking about the oversized four-wheel-drive vehicle that somehow caught the imagination of the public with its spectacular leaps over sorry looking bangers.
In the United States the "sport" of monster truck racing is huge, which led it somehow to the PC.
And they are all here, Bigfoot, Rampage, Grave Digger, Snake Bite et al. There are three modes of gameplay for you to thrash these 10-ton beasts around. Drag, Rally and Circuit: another, Tournament is a mix of events from the other three. To get things off to a flying start, your best option is probably Drag where, after qualifying, you race against one opponent over a quarter-mile section of track. The winner goes into the next round and the loser may need a trip to the garage to tweak things up a little.
Little, if any, skill is required for this mode of gameplay. The only part of your anatomy to feel any pressure is the index finger as you press forward for go.
In the garage, you can adjust the suspension, change the grip on the tyres or change the gear ratios so you can have more top-end speed or more acceleration from a standing start. Take your monster to a rally circuit and things start to become a little wobbly. The terrain, as one can imagine, is a little rough and just staying on the track is a notable achievement. If you fancy a trip across country while the rest of the field looks for the chequered flag, then take it.
Monster Truck Madness is not a racing game where you have to stick rigidly to the racetrack - you can take almost any route to the finish line providing you pass the allotted checkpoints.
Where this game does excel is in translating the constant bouncing and bumping of the truck to your monitor. The effects are so real one could almost feel a little queasy while at the wheel.
While Circuit racing is a little more sedate it's still fairly hectic going and controlling these monsters still proves a little difficult. But it's great fun. If for some reason it all becomes too much just call for help. By pressing on the keyboard, one can summon a large helicopter or a pterodactyl to lift you from your mess and place you back neatly on the raceway.
And when all the mayhem is over, you can look back over the turmoil you created from various" different view points through an excellent replay feature. But Monster Truck Madness is, unfortunately, big in every way. Although you can tone down the graphic detail a little for smoother gameplay, to witness this game in all its glory will take a Pentium 166 with a 3D accelerator video card. If you are fortunate enough to have such high-powered equipment this game will show it off nicely.
Graphics: 86%, Sound: 80%, Gameplay: 90%